


Lightforge

by Insolentknight



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Werecreatures, F/F, F/M, Factions, Gen, Hunted Vampires, Lesbian Vampires, Multi, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, Werewolves, noncannon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 06:29:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 124,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13805412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insolentknight/pseuds/Insolentknight
Summary: Weiss Schnee is an ex-vampire hunter that went into hiding 3 years ago. After saving a girl in red she's been tracking, she escorts her home and sticks around to protect her. Turns out, the girl's older sister is a top-ranking trainee at Weiss' old guild: Yang Xiao Long. Join them as they unlock a chain of unsavory truths about the world they live in. Modern? AU





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first fic on AO3. This was originally posted on FF.net, but I'm adding it up here too. I kinda' wanted to do something a little different with a vamp story and combined a lot of elements I liked from some of my favorite series worlds to create something I felt stood out. I'm uploading the first four chapters, so let me know what you guys think!

_It has always been my family’s duty to keep the secrecy of their existence. When they hunted humans, we hunted them. History demands that Vlad was the first of their kind. Of course, I speak of creatures who stalk the night; creatures who prey on man. Creatures driven by a perverse bloodlust; creatures empowered by the dark arts. Vampires, we call them, though they are more appropriately called parasites. Wise men speculate that these monsters have appeared throughout historic sources. Wiser men know that their origins date back to before these sources were recorded; back to ancient times when history was nothing more than the tales woven by the tongues of the bards who spun them._

_Vampires first appeared as lone wolves. They established themselves with the creation of small broods of others similar to themselves. As they aged, they became more powerful and with every new vampire, their terror spread. With the increase in number, vampires rivaled with each other for territory and what remained of their human cattle became consumed in war. To calm aggression between clans, the vampires formed The Circle of Sires, often referred to as The Council. Each council member sired its own clan that inherited variants of their predecessor’s unique skills. This established an identification system for vampires and dictated which clan was to handle rogue traitors. That was when the first Hunters appeared._

_Hunters specialized in particular kinds of vampires; each focusing on a particular clan. It was often a bloody and unrewarding job that resulted in the loss of comrades and family alike. They were often alone with nowhere to call home and were otherwise useless to society. As time went on, Vampires became more intelligent and enslaved other creatures to do their bidding… That was when the Schnee stepped in._

_The Schnee were always talented Hunters, gifted with both intelligence and strength. It was the Schnee that discovered what we now call Lightforge – a Holy-like element concentrated into a physical form. Lightforge was harnessed to combat against the concentrated Unholy magicks that vampires had coined “Darkforge”. Though not unlike the concentrated magicks they stemmed from, Forges were a byproduct of the elements. It was believed that only gods and true demons could tap into the purest sources of these powers._

_The Schnees became highly acclaimed for both their prowess on the field and the development of weapons against the creatures of darkness, but the Schnee also had a trump card that helped them to excel above all others – an ability that put them on par with the vampires but made them nearly as dangerous. For that reason, they were kept away from all other humans. Unfortunately, it was an inherited trait that only presented itself in males and often skipped generations. To this day, there are no records on it but they say that those that inherited it lived solemn lives and died gloriously. After all, it was a Schnee’s duty to protect humanity and nothing was more honorable than to die a hero’s death – a Hunter’s death._

_At first, we hunted **all** of the nightmares – this included the werewolves. They tore humans limb from limb… terrorized the land… ravaged the livestock... Where Vampires were worrisome during the night, the wolves posed a unique problem – incredibly resilient humans during the hours of light that evolved into an uncontrollably, destructive force at night. Their only instinct was to kill, if not create more of their kind. _

_During the mid-1800s, the discovery that silver felled even the most fearsome of the beasts struck fear into the hearts of all were-creatures. Being the most aggressive of all, the wolves were the first to approach humanity for a ceasefire. With humans being preyed upon and the enslavement of were-beasts, the vampire menace had become too great a problem for both sides and so the first alliance between man and monster became a reality._

_We gave the beasts a way to blend in and offered them acceptance; they were no longer to be hunted. We gave them time and a way to fully control their bloodlust. We treated them as equals and, forever indebted to us, they gave us their loyalty and strength. Other were-beasts soon came to us, desperate to for protection from hunters and vampires alike and they were offered the sanctuary they sought in exchange for their services, whether they be field agents, care-givers, or trainers for other were-beasts._

_Within the ranks of our Hunters, it became common place to find human and were-families. Their hybrid children were soon dubbed “Faunus”. Unfortunately, it was not so easy to hide them due to their more physical characteristics and so, the Schnee family kept them within their walls. The guild later evolved into a fully functioning fortress, offering militaristic training for its recruits and all the necessities for its Faunus families to grow, and in return, the Faunus grew into some of the more elite members of the guild._

_Soon earning a reputation as the best trackers, Hunters did not have to worry about the possibility of Faunus ruining recon missions by changing or losing control like with their were-counterparts. Their introduction into the field was a turning point in the war against vampires and it wasn’t long until vampire numbers dwindled and became largely forgotten by the people. However, while the Faunus were heralded for their immunity to a vampire’s bite, it did not mean that they were resistant to poisoning of the mind._

_In the early 1900s, vampires made their first modern day appearance through the aid of the more bitter members of the Faunus. With the promise of no longer being hidden, they defected to the Vampire cause and the Faunus debut branded them as a new form of monster. The Schnee family responded by sending its best Hunters – human, Faunus, and were-beast alike – to control the situation._

_In the early 2000s, humanity began to accept the existence of the Faunus and Were-beasts. While known for their more violent natures, they were accepted into society so long as they bore a Schnee Crest. This symbol was proof of their alliance with humanity and a sign that they were capable enough to accompany humans without incident. Initially, racism toward the groups went on for an extended period of time, but when Ozpin made his existence and the Council’s desire for the descendents of Mina Harker known, hatred had no place amongst the allies of humanity. It soon became a race for who would locate the children first._

_My name is Weiss Schnee and you could call this is a recounting of how I met the two biggest pains in my ass…_


	2. You Smell Delicious

“You smell delicious, sweetheart!”

A tall slender man licked at his teeth, intent on devouring the red and black-clad morsel that splayed herself before him. He gnashed his teeth at her, poising himself to pounce. If only she had left Jaune’s house an hour earlier. Her sister had always nagged about curfew, but today in particular, Yang had warned Ruby to stay home. According to Yang, the area she was in had become a recent hotspot for night time attacks and the Schnees had planned to launch a full-scale raid on a nearby nesting ground for the horrors of the night.

_When Ruby had set off for home, Jaune had offered to see her off, but Ruby had told him that she was only going to the bus station, then straight home. No detours. There was no need to worry with such a short trip. Unfortunately, Ruby had arrived just as the final bus of the day had left. The next bus was certain to have members of the night patrol on it, but that didn’t guarantee safe travel once she stepped off it, and with her luck, they would recognize her and report her directly to Yang._

_Ruby had looked at her watch and thought that while she might pushing it, it would only be a 30 minute walk home from where she was. She’d get home with just barely enough time to lock up properly and avoid the auto-report it sent to Yang if the security system wasn’t set up on time. If it had ever tripped, Yang would show up within minutes and run a thorough check of the premises… so Ruby elected to take a shortcut.  Unfortunately, whatever few minutes she thought she would save were now wasted on an effort that landed her in a situation where she was now guaranteed to not even make it home at all._

_She had been so focused on not getting caught by the night patrol that she totally forgot about the very reason they existed: vampires. “Always be wary of dark areas and **especially** avoid alleyways.” Both Yang and Uncle Qrow had drilled that into her head for years, and of course, the **one** time Ruby ignored them, she ran into **this guy**. _

_He was a shambling mess of a man - probably early 20s. His clothing had been soiled and the entire alley reeked of iron and rot. As disheartening as it was to think, it was obvious that he had recently been turned and was experiencing the first phase of his turning: the frenzy. It was during this stage that vampires shed the most blood, aimlessly killing, trying to fill the void left by their missing life force. They would kill and kill until they regained some semblance of who they used to be, but by then, it would be too late. An insatiable taste for blood would be the entire driving force behind their existence and there were none that could resist its call._

_Ducking behind a trashcan, Ruby had spotted an intersection of alleyways just a few feet in front of her. If she could have just snuck her way past, she would have been home-free and stuck to the UV-lit main roads, courtesy of the recent government implementation. She would have dealt with Yang’s lecture if it meant she got past this. Yang would never hear of this and Ruby would have learned her lesson and never take her chances again. Sadly, fate had other plans for Ruby this evening._

_Ruby had jumped across the walls, shimmying her way toward the corner. Just a few more feet and she could run the rest of the way before he even caught sight of her. Even if he did catch wind of her, she was confident in her speed enough that her legs would carry her to the safe haven the lights offered, before he could grasp her._

_BOOM!_

_It wasn’t her fault that she had gotten caught; it was that blasted explosion that rattled everything and knocked down the emergency ladder just above her. Rather than being knocked out by it, Ruby dove out of the way and that was when she found herself at the merciless hands of the vampire she had tried so desperately to avoid… Would he turn her? Did he have that capacity? Or would he simply tear her to shreds?_

Ruby whined inwardly. It just wasn’t fair. Why did stuff like this happen to her? There was no way she’d get lucky enough to survive a third attack. Luck had always been with her, but she was pretty sure that she had spent most of her luck when she and Yang had been the sole survivors of the attack that had claimed their parents’ lives. If not for Uncle Qrow, they may have even died from their own injuries. Any sliver of luck that remained had definitely dried up after the second time - the day her Eighth Grade field trip had been the site of another attack. The only other surviving students of the class were Jaune, Nora, and Ren.

Among the casualties, they had all lost a friend that they looked up to and Jaune had already been reeling in pain from the loss of his childhood best friend the week before. He had just been about to introduce them… No matter how well they thought they hid it, Ruby’s friends weren’t the same and she had simply been too sick to leave home that day. She hadn’t even known until Yang returned home a sobbing mess, thinking that she had also lost Ruby… All this death was so senseless…

Another explosion rattled the ground and Ruby saw it as her chance; maybe there was just a bit of that luck left. She scrambled to her feet, darting toward the main road and slammed into another body. Ruby screamed inwardly at herself. Why were there more than one?! Ruby peered up into frosty blue eyes and snow white hair... Blue eyes? Not a vampire! Yes! Her heart leapt for joy as she was shoved behind the girl who had saved her and landed hard on the ground, turning over just in time for a glowing blade to cleave through her attacker with the speed of light. A Lightforge weapon?

“Haaah! SO COOL!” The girl scoured over Ruby for a moment before a chorus of chilling roars sang through the night sky.

“This place is dangerous!” Her savior looked around anxiously, preparing for any number of abominations. “Get outta’ here!”

“Right!” Saluting her farewell, Ruby fled with gusto. She didn’t have to tell her twice!

**ooOOoo**

That girl was impossible! Pressing her fingers to her sinuses, Weiss wiped them along the bridge of her nose in an effort to sooth her irritation. Seriously, who ran around at this time of night? Not to mention the suspicious red hoodie she wore! Anyone could mistake her for being a hoodlum… Wait… red and black attire… silver eyes… Oh shit! All of humanity’s enemies were looking **specifically** for this girl and she was out running the streets for God knew what reason! For quite some time now, Weiss had been trying to relocate this girl and there she was, in an extremely volatile zone, about to get picked apart by a beast that fled the warehouse that had been raided only moments ago. This was one hell of a mess the Schnee had on their hands!

_Weiss had heard about the raid and happened to be in the area, so she thought she’d keep an eye on things. If it looked like the Hunter’s Guild couldn’t handle it, she’d lend a hand, but they seemed fine. Unfortunately, it looked like their info was false and the explosives had unleashed a den of werewolves. This was likely the work of a bad tip-off from a member of the White Fang... Which meant this was a Schnee job... Oh, how far the mighty had fallen…_

_Seeing the slaughter for what it was, Weiss had almost given up hope on the hunters until a familiar mane of radiant blonde caught her eye. Oh, now **that** was unfortunate. It looked like she’d have to help out somehow, lest some sad peon be charged with the task of delivering the news of yet another of Ruby Rose’s family members passing. The poor girl had already lost so much already and with only an older sister and a drunken uncle left, Weiss truly felt for her. Well, might as well check the reserves. _

_She dug a small container out of the inline pocket of her white bolero. Within it were three small vials that she grimaced at. Only three left and she had to make them last. She wasn’t ready to return back to Glynda for a check up until she had at least located the residence of Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long. Pocketing the container, Weiss sighed and dropped from her rooftop perch._

_A black and yellow motorbike sat near her landing site and she gave it a quick once-over as she approached it. Ah, the famous Bumblebee she had heard much about – the only thing more powerful than Yang Xiao Long’s right hook. On closer inspection, Weiss found a gray container labeled ‘CAUTION: SILVER NITRATES’ in bold red letters attached to the bike and stared impassively at it as her brain literally melted inside her skull…_

_Really? How… **How** did she leave her equipment behind?! She shook her head and swore to herself. Was this really the caliber of hunter they were letting out now? How thoughtless!... and they had never even given her a chance to prove herself. Well, whatever. Those days were behind Weiss and it wasn’t like things could go back to the way they were before. Flipping the connecting latch, Weiss retrieved the container and bolted toward the blonde huntress, suddenly grateful she had elected to wear thicker gloves than usual, lest she be in for a less than pleasant surprise._

_“Xiao Long!” Weiss chucked the container at Yang, drawing the two pistols holstered at her sides as the box left her hands. She unleashed a flurry of bullets on a beast as it leapt toward Yang and it fell dead at the blonde’s feet. Yang hastily scooped up the container, digging out a few items. A rabbit Faunus and a hipster-looking girl with a brown beret ran to Yang’s side, offering supporting fire to cover her as she rummaged through it._

_“Any time now, Yang.” The hipster girl urged. “This is really crampin’ my style.”_

_“Yeah, yeah! Gimme’ a minute, Coco!”_

_“Not to urge you, Miss Yang but time is–“ A bullet flew passed the rabbit’s nose, silencing her. In place of the silence, a heavy weight collapsed next to her and her eyes grew wide. “Of the essence?”_ Yang grinned proudly at her Desert Eagle’s work and returned to digging.

_“Like I said: a minute! Uno!” She dug a grenade from the container and ripped the pin out with her teeth. “Momento!” She emphasized the last word by lobbing the explosive at some unfortunate were-beast. Yang dropped the box and joined her comrades in putting the remaining beasts down. Deciding she had done enough, Weiss began to walk away. It would be best to get out before they could get a closer look at her. A nearby pile of rubble began to shift and a werewolf burst from it, firmly planting its claws into Weiss’ stomach. Ah dammit..._

_Blood trailed down her stomach and soaked into the waist line of her pants and she coughed blood into the beast’s face. This was just great - so much for trying to be the Good Samaritan. A loud gasp came from behind Weiss and she slowly turned to see the three girls staring at her in horror. The beast roared at her, showering her with its saliva. Grimacing with disgust, she gagged at the slobber that slapped against her face and the beast threw her across the lot like a ragdoll. Weiss let out a scream as she whizzed through the air and crashed hard into Bumblebee with a sickening thud._

_“Aaaaaaaaaah! My bike!” The blonde yelled in fury, picking up a shotgun from the body of a fallen comrade and fired it as she charged the beast. **Really? I get impaled and thrown into this caution tape on wheels and the bike is the ONLY thing she’s worried about? Fuck me! The BIKE is what’s important! UGH!** With everyone concentrating on the beast dashing about, another were-beast darted from the warehouse and made its escape. **Shit!** Weiss noted to herself that they wouldn’t be able to catch up to it without that bike, so she hoisted herself up against the wall and held her stomach. It hurt like a bitch, but she’d had far worse. In her current state, she’d still need to tend to it. _

_She dug into the pocket of her bolero and fished out the container once more. Popping the cap off of one of the vials, she threw her head back and drank the liquid it contained. Wiping her mouth against her sleeve, she threw the vial to the ground and it shattered. Weiss lifted a hand from her injury to check and the wound was stitching itself together quite nicely. For now,it would do, but she had a beast to track before it could kill anyone. She shot a glance toward the three girls. Yang was still screaming about her bike as she pummeled into a near-dead beast and the other two girls were trying to pry her away. In any other situation, it might have been comical but there was still the escapee at hand. A shotgun blast finished off the beast and Weiss shook her head. Talk about overkill…They’d be fine without her._

_Weiss crouched and pushed herself off the ground with a high jump and landed on the top of the building she had started off at and set off immediately. Scouring the back alleys and roads, she searched for any sign of her quarry but found nothing. Her search wasn’t entirely empty though. That was when she had spotted a girl sporting a vibrant red hoodie. What the hell was she even doing out past curfew anyway? Was she asking for trouble? Weiss might have even passed her by if she hadn’t spotted the vampire fledgling the girl was trying to sneak past. This could go very badly, very quickly and Weiss’s conscious couldn’t bear the thought, so she landed silently in the alley near the main road. When she stood up and turned around, that was when the girl collided with her…_

And now she was leaping across rooftops, in an effort to track down that girl. Hopefully, she had elected to stay under the UV Lamps on the main road – at least, that’s what an intelligent person would do… but then she remembered that this was also the same girl that was cutting through alleyways after curfew.

Where the hell was this girl, anyway? She couldn’t sense her and she didn’t see her. She couldn’t have been **that** fast. A sickening feeling knotted in Weiss’ stomach, alerting her to the presence of the escaped were-beast. Shit! If it had found Ruby, the UV Lamps wouldn’t do anything to protect her. Since were-beasts were mostly tame, the city’s protective measures were geared mainly toward vampires.

Her heart sank when she realized a residential area would soon come up, and since UV lighting hadn’t even begun in the housing areas, Ruby’s protection would reduce significantly until she was safely indoors. Weiss sped forward and kept her eyes trained for both the beast and the girl. A few blocks ahead, Weiss finally spotted a red-hooded girl and dropped to ground-level. She didn’t want to frighten her too badly, so she ran along the lighted road, grunting in mild discomfort as she landed. As Weiss caught up to Ruby, her eyes went wide when a large shadow leapt out and Ruby screamed.

**ooOOoo**

A loud roar came from Ruby’s side and she screamed out, falling to the ground at the sight of the large beast. With each passing second, it drew closer and closer, and just as she could feel its breath, a white blur hit it with all the force of a semi-truck. The girl from earlier rolled with the beast, attempting to gain the higher ground, but the beast won out. Rearing back on its haunches, it pinned the girl down with a large claw that spanned across her chest and prepared it free claw for attack. Not wanting to see the next few moments, Ruby shut her eyes tightly, expecting a wet slap to be the next sound she heard.

Instead, three pistol shots rang out like music to her ears and the beast whined, slumping heavily to ground and flailing about, clutching at the wounds that now leaked molten silver. The girl with ivory tresses stood up and hovered over the struggling beast, eyeing it curiously as she drew the blade from her side. In a last ditch effort, it made one final lunge at her, only to be answer with a well-placed slash that lopped off the beast’s head. The wolf landed in a pool of its own blood and twitched as the last of its neurons fired through its system, then it went limp and all was quiet... until a sudden sniffle came from behind her.

“Let’s get you home safely this time.” Smiling warmly, Ruby’s hero approached her calmly and offered a hand to help her up. While her newfound guardian stayed on the alert, the rest of the trip home was uneventful. Ruby entered the password to her gated home and opened it, gesturing for Weiss to follow and she obliged, leaning against the entrance with her arms crossed.

“I’ll hang out ‘til you get everything set back up.” Her savior stood guard for the moment. “I’d hate to leave you unprotected.”

“Oh! Right! Ummm…” The crimson girl blushed and bolted into her home, rushing through setting the alarms and other defenses. A bright UV light illuminated the grounds and Weiss breathed a sigh of relief. “Um, everything’s up now.” Ruby seemed quite embarrassed about not getting straight to setting up the security system and she smiled nervously. Relieving the tension, Weiss smiled back and stood straight.

“Well, now that you’re safe, I guess my job’s done!” She turned to leave the premises. “Be safe and try to stay in at nigh- hm?” A small tug on Weiss’ sleeve turned her around and Ruby stood with her head hung low.

“Are you on patrol tonight?” A soft-spoken Ruby asked.

“Well, no, I’m not affiliated. I’m…” Ruby looked up with tears threatening to fall. “Early retirement?”

“Then stay here tonight!” The red girl wrapped her arms around Weiss and muffled her cries.

“Ah, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Weiss looked away nervously. “You’ll be safe here, though. The system is up!”

“I don’t want to be alone!” Ahhh, that was it - she was scared out of her wits. Weiss sighed and wrapped her arms around the girl, stroking her hair. “Hush, now. If I stay just for tonight, will that suffice?” The girl vigorously nodded her head. “Then, I think it would be appropriate if we at least exchanged names.” Nodding her head, Ruby stepped back from Weiss and let her finish closing the gate.

“My name is Ruby Rose! Pleasure to meet you!” Ruby offered a hand out. Weiss stared at her hand for a moment before taking it and returning the gesture with a light shake.

“Weiss Schh-now… Snow!”

“Hahaha, well, it’s good to meet you Miss Schnow. Come on in!” _Oh, God… let this **not** be a thing._ Ruby ran back toward her door and opened it. “Welcome to my humble home! It’s not much, but you can take a shower and I can wash your clothes as thanks!” Ruby twiddled her fingers as she called attention to the state of Weiss’ shredded attire. “I mean, I figure you might not want the blood to stain your clothes… I help my sister out with that all the time, but now she mostly just wears black in the field... It’s easier.”

Hesitant of the door, Weiss glared at the frames as passed through and looked around. It was a simple set up with a hallway that branched into stairs on one side and the living quarters further on. Simple pictures lined the walls and were arranged to draw you further into the home. As Ruby led Weiss down the hall, they passed a living room and a “door to the garage” as Ruby put it. At the end of the hall, Weiss found herself sitting at a kitchen table, waiting for some sort of order from Ruby.

“Um, thanks for this, Weiss,” Ruby said sheepishly. “I really appreciate it.”

“What did you call me?” Weiss’ voice was filled with confusion.

“Um, Weiss?” Ruby twiddled her thumbs again. “I mean, you kinda’ rolled your eyes when I called you Miss Snow so I thought… Well, then again that might be because I was teasing you with the Schnow thing and I’m rambling. I’m sorry. I’ll call you Miss Sn-“

“It’s fine. Calm down,” Weiss placed a hand on Ruby’s. “I’m just… not used to hearing my first name anymore…” Weiss smiled. “I like it!” A smile spread across Ruby’s face with a child-like eagerness.

“Alright!” Ruby pumped her fist in the air. “Now, if you’ll hand me your clothes, I can wash them and you can shower!”

“Er… Where’s the bathroom?”

“Oh, that’s right! Sis usually just strips where ever!” Ruby bumped herself in the head with her wrist and pointed upward. “Upstairs! The rooms are on the right; the shower’s on the left! Just strip down, hop in, and I’ll grab ‘em! You look like the same size as me, so I’ll lay something out for you!” The girl excitedly grabbed Weiss’ hand and dragged her up the stairs, slamming the bathroom door open. “Here you go!” She snorted in excitement. _What have I gotten myself into?…_

The bathroom itself was practical – a light shade of pink with white ceramics. On the wall was a towel rack that held up a deep red towel with a black rose emblem stitched into it and a bright yellow one with a burning heart stitched in gold. A mental comparison between attires told her which one belonged to which sister. Taking in the rest of the bathroom, Weiss stepped in and removed her bolero, revealing a slim fitting white tube top. Weiss absent-mindedly dug through her inline pocket for the container from earlier, but a loud gasp called her attention away. She looked over her shoulder to find shock written all over Ruby’s face. Oh! That’s right! She hadn’t had time to check over herself earlier.

“Are you alright? Let me get something for you!” Ruby clamored spastically through a medicine chest.

“I’m fine… R-Ruby...” With unwrapped bandages stuck to her face, Ruby stopped at the sound of her name. Clearly, being on first name basis was a huge milestone for Weiss. “It looks worse than it is. This is… mostly beast blood and catching on things. My top is torn though… I guess the jacket will have to do as a substitute for now.” Her top was ruined – bloodied and shredded by the night’s events.

“I can give you something. You don’t have to worry about it.” Ruby took Weiss’ bolero. “My sister shows too much skin. I’d hate for you to have be skimpy too.” _Ouch._

“Hey! It’s not skimpy, it’s confidence!” Weiss crossed her arms. “And I, for one, am quite confident!... Well…” She glanced down at her chest… she could be happier… “Anyway, I thought you were washing things!” Weiss threw her out of the bathroom.

“But… but I need the rest,” she pouted at the door, holding the bolero. A second later, the door cracked and a pair of black slacks, the aforementioned tube top, black socks, gloves, and a white pair of underwear piled on her. “Thaaanks.” Ruby sighed into Weiss’ clothing. Great, she’d already upset her and they had been off to such a nice start. She sniffled and picked up the scent of iron and a crisp apple mint. Weiss probably smelled really good when she wasn’t covered in monster blood.

**ooOOoo**

God, this girl was a bit aggravating. With the door now shut, Weiss noticed a full body mirror hanging from it. She gave herself a once-over, checking for anything that wasn’t healing properly. Everything about her body seemed fine, so there was no reason to dwell, but she spent another moment… She really did think she had a nice body. Did this girl not? She quietly fumed to herself, before fidgeting with the knobs to set the temperature of the water and hesitated, looking at the container in her hand. This was going to suck.

It wasn’t that water hurt – quite the contrary, actually. Water felt just like she always remembered it, but this time around it just sapped the strength out of her; it made her more tired. With her strength gone, she had a harder time resisting her urges and she needed to preserve these vials just a bit longer. It was bad enough that until tonight, she had been rationing them in half-doses, but she wasn’t sure if she’d have to take more after this. Deciding to gauge her needs later, she placed the container on the septic tank and turned the shower knob to Shower Mode. Hell, she might not even need it if she got some decent rest.

Drawing the curtain behind her, Weiss was enveloped in the boiling hot cascade of water. Steam filled the air and she simply relaxed under the scalding heat. She had naturally been born cold, so she was no stranger to the prickling sensation as the hot water brought her skin to life. In fact, sometimes it was the only way she could ascertain some sense of normalcy, despite her nerves having deadened to the pain some time ago.

Heavy with sleep, Weiss decided it was best to speed through washing. Unfortunately, there was no cloth for her to use and she felt it would be a bit odd to use one of the occupants’, so she simply rubbed herself down with soap and lathered with her hands. It was effective enough at removing the blood and gravel caked around her waistline, regardless of how thickly it has crusted to her skin. Ruby was right! She **did** need a bath, otherwise she’d have eventually started to fester and that was never a pleasant smell.

Red and brown-tinted soap spiraled down the drain, along with her earlier adrenaline, and Weiss decided it was time for the most time-consuming part. She tugged at her hair tie, releasing it from the off-centered ponytail she kept it in, and it fell loosely around her shoulders, soaking up the hot liquid that cleansed the rest of her body. A random red bottle called out to her, so she squirted it into her hand and worked it into her hair, scrubbing her scalp. What a familiar smell… She couldn’t quite place it, but she knew this smell. Now sure of her hair’s cleanliness, Weiss rinsed the suds out and conditioned it.

With her hair out of the way, she leaned over and shut the water off, baring her weight against the wall with one arm. Her body just felt so stiff and heavy. She’d never get used to this; a feeling similar to that of low blood sugar. Any longer and she’d probably pass out. With a sniffle, Weiss pushed herself up and wobbled out of the shower, stopping at a towel laid out on the sink… Oh, when had Ruby done that?

Either way, Weiss dried the water from her hair and then the rest of her body, wrapping it around herself at the end. She creaked the door open and peeked out groggily. A brightly lit bedroom sat across the hall with its door wide open. Past the door, she could see a black comforter on a bed with red pillows at the center and a few articles of clothing set out.

“Weiss! I put some clothes on my bed! It’s the room across from you!” Ruby shouted from downstairs. She must have heard the shower stop and the squeal from the door. Well, might as well get to it. Weiss wobbled across the hall into Ruby’s room, bending over to catch her breath. That walk really shouldn’t have taken that much out of her, but nonetheless, she needed to at least get clothes on before she passed out. If she was compared to that blonde again, she’d probably have a heart attack… Well… figuratively speaking…

**ooOOoo**

 While Weiss was upstairs, Ruby set to work with putting Weiss’ clothing into the wash. It was a shame she’d have to drown out Weiss’ scent, but the trade off to remove the pungent odor of blood was well worth it. She ran a stain lifting pen across the fresh stains hoping they would lift more easily. If anything, the last few years with Yang and the occasional visits from their uncle had made her accustomed to the task, so this wasn’t anything new to her. At least Weiss’ pants wouldn’t require much; they were already black. Unfortunately, the tube top was an unsalvageable mess. Between the holes and the blood, it just wasn’t worth saving.

The water stopped running and a door creaked upstairs, leading Ruby to believe Weiss was finished. She called out to Weiss and let her know that she had laid out something on her bed for her to wear and then returned to the laundry. Ruby tossed the manageable items into the washer and added a color protection detergent to it, along with an additional stain removal agent. The timing actually worked out really well, though. Yang had some clothing that needed tending to, so she threw those in with Weiss’. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Both sets of clothing would be ready for both girls whenever they needed them! A loud thump came from upstairs, startling Ruby and her eyes immediately went to the ceiling above her. Was something wrong with Weiss? She slammed the washer shut and hit the start button before rushing upstairs.

She found Weiss on the floor struggling to put the shirt on. This reminded her a bit of the one time Yang almost fell down the stairs trying to put “acceptable clothing” on. That was the day Ruby gave up on trying to get her to put “real clothes” on… Well, at least Weiss managed to get the pants on, which was more than could be said for her older sister. Yang’s skill as a huntress was literally the only thing that kept the guild from coming down on her about her disregard for the uniform, but Ruby was almost certain that those days would end soon. The higher Yang’s rank, the more she’d have to actually respect the uniform. Ruby crouched down to Weiss’ level and restrained her arms.

“Hold on a second! Let me help.” Weiss stopped moving and Ruby straightened out the shirt to properly fit over her. “There you go!... Weiss?” Weiss had an incredibly listless look to her, almost as if she were in a concussive state. Had she hit her head earlier? Was that the loud sound? “Hey, let’s get you up!” Ruby tried to pull her up with her, and at first, it seemed Weiss tried, but then she gave up and slumped forward a bit. Sighing to herself, Ruby wrapped both of her arms beneath Weiss’ and lifted her up, having trouble with the deadweight she was moving. If only Yang were here, this would be a piece of cake!

“…aw….ries…” Huh? Ruby shifted her weight hard, crashing on the bed with the still-listless Weiss. She lifted herself up over the retired huntress and looked curiously at the snowy girl.

“What?”  Ruby’s confusion only heightened when Weiss started almost drunkenly giggling to herself. Had she had alcohol stashed somewhere?... But Ruby had all of her clothing. That wasn’t it. Suddenly, Weiss had a moment of clarity and stopped laughing, staring intently at Ruby instead. Ruby didn’t like this look; it was almost predatory, and it made her heart stop. In an instant, Weiss darted toward Ruby’s neck, stopping just short of her supposed target. What the hell?! She just sat there! “Uh, Weiss?... Um, this is getting weird now…”

“Hehe…” Weiss gave a sluggish giggle. “Strawberries. Hehe… He was right. You smell **very** delicious!” The alabaster girl giggled again and collapsed beneath Ruby, passing out almost immediately and leaving an extremely confused Ruby behind… Seriously! **What the hell!!!**


	3. Home Sweet Home

The drive back to the stronghold was agonizingly long, shrouded in a deafening silence. The absence of sound served as a reminder to the Yang of just how deadly their adversaries could be. Images of nameless comrades with friendly faces she only recognized from previous missions passed through her weary mind. The armored vehicles had arrived about two hours after the entire incident – far too late to provide any form of real assistance. Yang had followed up with a report and was then dismissed, along with the only other two other remaining members of the squad - Coco and Velvet. So now, she found herself in the back of a transport vehicle with whatever had been salvageable of Bumblebee, the soft sobs of the bunny girl, and Coco’s words of reassurance. Across from Yang, the timid rabbit Faunus sobbed into Coco's jacket as the normally posh girl stroked her long hair. Arms crossed, Yang grimaced and hung her head. She felt bad for the girl. This had literally been her first mission and it wasn't actually supposed to be that difficult. Velvet shouldn't have even been on the front lines.

Velvet's job was to detonate the charges after they had been planted properly. She was to wait from a safe distance and look for the signal to light the place up. Unfortunately, some White Fang asshole got the better of the pitiful soul she was partnered with, killing him and running off with the detonation device. Just as Coco had returned from placing her charge to report, everything detonated, taking out several members of the Explosives Division. If the ensuing chaos hadn't been enough, it was complemented by the sheer horror of the beasts it unleashed. Awakened from their slumber, they immediately began to tear apart the ranks of hunters. It was a total bloodbath and it was beginning to feel like every mission had less of a return rate than the last.

Adding to her bad mood, Bumblebee was a total wreck. Yang worked so hard on that bike and it had become her pride and joy. She purposely parked it out of harm's way just for that girl to get launched at it… Speaking of that girl, she was another casualty that weighed heavily on Yang's mind. If not for her sacrifice, the three of them would surely have been part the growing list of fatalities. Even worse, there was no body to pay respects to. Between the sheer amount of blood smeared everywhere, Yang guessed that one of the escaped beasts had dragged her remains elsewhere. With the way she connected with Bumblebee, it would be a miracle if she had survived long enough to even bleed out. That poor girl… The truck pulled to a stop and the driver looked back to inform Yang of their arrival to her destination – home.

"Xiao Long, this is your stop." Yang lugged herself up and gathered what remained of Bumblebee, dragging it toward the exit and letting it down gently so as to keep it somewhat assembled. "Don't beat yourself up too hard, kid. Sometimes things go wrong and we have no control over what the tricky bastards do. It's the life we've chosen." He was right. Yang felt that there were things she could have done better, but there had been no way to know that it was a set up or that a member of the White Fang would have gotten the upper hand on Velvet… or that a random girl would ignore curfew and become the first civilian casualty during a mission in months.

"Velvet," Yang placed a hand on the Faunus' shoulder causing her to peer up from Coco's bosom. "Hey, you did good out there. No one blames you. We survived and that's what's important." Velvet blinked her tears away and wiped away the remnants.

"Thanks, Yang… It's just horrifying to see what they're capable of." The tears began to well up again. "That could have been any of us."

"But we weren't, Velvs," Coco pointed out softly. "We live to see another day and we will learn from this. Yang," Coco looked at the blonde with a serious expression. "You get some rest. I expect we'll be seeing you tonight?"

"Yeah, something like that… I just want to see Ruby, right now," Yang grumbled. "I need someone to remind me why I keep putting myself through this. You guys get rest too and Coco, keep an eye on her. The first night's always the roughest." With that, Yang bid them farewell and wheeled the wreckage of Bumblebee to the gate where a small panel sat on the gate under the buzzer. Yang lifted the cover and pressed her left hand over the panel. A bright light waved over her hand and a green light over the gate's handle and a click let her know it was unlocked. While Ruby preferred the password method, Yang preferred the hand scanner. The less she had to remember, the better. She pulled the gate open and hauled Bumblebee inside and set it near the gate. She'd work on her baby later. For now, she was tired and wanted to change clothes.

Walking up the porch stairs, Yang unlocked the door to the house, immediately taking in the smell of cinnamon. Something other than cookies? That was a pleasant surprise. Yang walked in, immediately kicking off her boots by the door. As she walked past the stairs, she heard the sound of the running water. Odd, Ruby usually showered at night. Apparently, her sister had elected to change things up a bit this morning. Groggily, she made her way down the hallway, unzipping her jacket and absently hanging it from one of the kitchen chairs. She pulled a glass from the dishwasher and filled it with water, before turning around and leaning against the sink. Exhaustion looming over her, the tired girl glanced around the kitchen and cocked her head when she noticed not one, but two chairs out of place, as if someone else was here. Had Jaune come home with Ruby? It would have been nice to have been warned. The least they could do was push the chairs in. Well, she'd have time to gripe after she got some shut-eye.

A loud buzz went off in the garage, so Yang assumed Ruby had been drying clothes as per her morning ritual. Every time Yang had a shift, soft warm clothing with a touch of fresh mountain springs awaited her return… Whatever the hell they smelled like; Yang didn't know and she didn't care. Yang cracked a small smile at the thoughtfulness Ruby had for her. It was a small comfort, but it was the little things that her sister did that made up her charm. The shower cut off and Yang assumed Ruby would be down soon.

In the mean time, Yang walked down the steps into the garage to fish out some clothing from the drier. She flipped through the various garments, pulling out a few of her own and setting them on top of the machine, but what struck her as odd was the addition of white to the assortment of clothing. A white bolero with a similar layout to her own military jacket; it was just slightly more designer in the sleeves. Odd. Did Ruby even have any friends that wore white? Lacy panties? So… there was a panty-less girl somewhere in her house. She chuckled to herself. If she hadn't been so tired, she would have been relentless with her jokes, but alas she needed sleep… this jacket seemed so familiar though. She changed her clothes, throwing the soiled ones in front of the washer, then grabbed the white jacket and carried it up the stairs where she was greeted with the sound of humming and Ruby pulling cinnamon buns out of the oven. The little busy bee set them on the counter and began to work on frying some eggs and bacon.

"What's the special occasion?" Yang asked with humor, sitting at the table. Startled, Ruby turned around to see Yang at the table.

"Oh, um, I thought I'd get a big breakfast going. You know, food!" Yang looked at her skeptically. Wow, could she be any more transparent? Yang brought the jacket into sight and Ruby froze.

"So, I see we have a visitor? And from what I gather, she's either a girl or Jaune found a new hobby after that school dance." Ruby palm flew into her forehead. He was never going escape the cross-dressing incident and Yang would be sure of that.

"Yang, he did that  **one**  time a couple years ago and you still haven't let him live that down!"

"You bet your sweet ass I won't!" That was one of the most amusing days of Yang's life. He asked this girl he really liked out and lost a bet when she said no. He was pretty bummed out, but his sadness was, of course, Yang's pleasure. The boy was a damn good dancer though. Even in a dress, he had some moves. Those two hung out way too much though. "I still think he's gonna' ask you out one of these days."

"What? Jaune? No way! Psh!” Ruby waved her off with a laugh. “We're  **just friends** , Yang. Friends that happen to be a boy and girl. We can be friends without dating. I know that's hard for  **you**  to believe."

"Hey!" Ruby looked at her disapprovingly. "Fine… Still, who's your friend?"

"Errr… Promise you won't be mad?" It was never a good thing when that was the first thing to leave Ruby's mouth. It was usually something that would cause a lot of trouble for Yang later.

"Ruby…" Ruby returned to her cooking and Yang crossed her arms, doing her best to emulate an adult tone. "What did you do this time?" Silence… "Ruby…"

"No! You're gonna' yell at me!"

"I'm going to yell at you even more if you  **don't**  answer me."

"Soooo, I went out yesterday even though you told me not to…" Ruby went silent.

"… And?"

"Well… I sorta' missed the bus and instead of going back to Jaune's like you usually tell me to, I took a shortcut home…"

"Define 'shortcut'.” The blonde air quoted and took note of Ruby’s nervous twiddling of her thumbs. Oh, she wasn't going to like this.

"Through back alleys."

"Ruby! How many times have I told you-"

"I haven't even gotten to the worst part yet…"

"It gets worse?" Yep, Ruby was in for it when she was done.

"So I kinda', sorta', maybe, totally, definitely ran into a Frenzy Vampire… And I almost got away but there was this loud boom."

"… Did he bite you?..." Yang was very serious. If breakfast was just a way to butter her up, Ruby had another thing coming. "Just 'Yes' or 'No'."

"What? No! He was going to, but let me get to that!" Ruby chided her sister for her interruption. "Anyway! So he was about to get me and there was another explosion. I got away but I ran into this girl named Weiss – she's really cool by the way. A retired hunter. Which reminds me, I wonder why. She's like your age, but yeah. So, she killed him and told me go home but she gave me a lecture about being out late, kinda' like you… Actually, it was like listening to you on repeat… But then I was running on the main road and this werewolf attacked me!” At the mention of the beast, Yang felt sick, knowing that it was almost guaranteed to be one of the escapees. “But Weiss was there and she like tackled it and shot it and hit it with her sword. I wonder if it has a name. It's so cool! Same with the pistols! But yeah, so she walked me home and I asked her to stay because I was scared…" Ruby twiddled her thumbs again. "Are you mad?"

"… No…” Yang deadpanned at her and Ruby’s face lit up, only to fall back down. “I'm extremely upset with you… But I'm also happy you're alive. We owe her. Where is she?"

"So, I haven't woken her up yet. She got kinda' sick after her shower last night so I let her sleep in,” Ruby rambled on. “I was gonna' wake her up after I got done making breakfast and drying her clothes. She was covered in so much blood last night."

"Ah, yeah. White's not exactly the best color for this line of business." Yang pondered for a moment, inspecting the bolero. "Side note: you did a really good job with the stains… Well, go ahead and wake her up. I'd like to thank her before I go to sleep. I have duty again tonight."

**ooOOoo**

**SCREEEEEEEEEEE!**

_Where am I? It's so cold… Am I dead? I feel so tired…_

" **You don't look so well, child."** _THWAP_

" **Don't tease the poor girl!"** _Voices?_

" **Now, now! You'll set a terrible example for Miss Schnee! Violence isn't always the answer. Remember that, Miss Schnee."** _What?_

" **If we don't do something for her soon, she'll die. Is that what you want?"** _Die?! I don't want to die!_

" **It isn't about what I want. It's her decision."**

" _He…elp." Oh, that's right… this is when I…_

" **See? Miss Schnee is very capable of making her own decisions!"**

" **We don't have time for this!"**

_I didn't want to die… I hadn't even had a chance to make a difference…_

" _Ple…ease…"_

" **Hush, now. Drink this. The pain will go away soon and when you wake up, you'll be stronger than ever… Glynda, you'll teach her everything she needs to know for me, won't you?"**

…  _So I made a deal with a devil and his temptress…_

" **I'm always cleaning up your messes…"**

**ooOOoo**

"Ah!" Weiss sat up quickly, slamming her head into something and collapsed backwards, clutching her forehead. "Ow! What the hell!" She opened an eye, scanning for what she had collided with. Low and behold, Ruby lay at the end of the bed cradling her head.

"I'm so sowwy, Wei-iisss," she sniffled through her tears. Still half-asleep, Weiss rubbed at her head a little more and sat up to recollect herself. That's right… She fell asleep in Ruby's room last night and… Oh no! Did she try to hurt Ruby? To her horror, an embarrassingly loud gurgle came from Weiss' stomach. Which reminded her: Where was her case?

"It's okay, Ruby." Weiss patted herself down. Oh yeah, Ruby washed her clothing. "Did I leave something in the bathroom last night?"

"Um, now that you *sniffle* mention it…" The younger girl continued to pout a bit more and rubbed her head. Fishing something out of her nightstand, Ruby handed the case to her. "You shouldn't leave these around. If Yang saw this, she'd drink it all!" Weiss looked at her incredulously. What the hell did Ruby know about this? It was still in the testing phase. "You shouldn't drink when you shower. That's not safe… and you're a little scary." Wait…

"You thought I was drunk?"

"Well, it smells a lot like vodka and Yang drinks that stuff like water." Well, that beat the reality of what it actually was. Oh, how nice it was to be so naïve. "I take it that's not what it is."

"You said I was scary… Did I do something to you?" The fear was quite clear is Weiss' voice and Ruby picked up on that immediately.

"You don't seem surprised…” Ruby looked at her suspiciously. “Well, not really." Ruby sat down next to Weiss. "You were all giggly and then you just got all intense for a minute. I thought maybe you were hiding a bite and started to change, but you're a hunter so you wouldn't do that…" The tint of Ruby's cheeks flushed a bright red. "Then you said the vampire yesterday was right. I smell delicious because I smell like strawberries… And then you passed out, so I thought you were drunk…" She twiddled her fingers a bit more and looked away. A loud thump on her bed caused Ruby to look back at the girl in her pajamas, who was virtually smothering herself with Ruby's pillows.

"Tell me I didn't actually say something that cheesy!" Weiss' muffled voice came from under the pillow. A familiar weight straddled her and a pair of hands pried Weiss' fingers away from the pillow, sliding it under her head. Ruby pressed her palms into the pillow on either side of her ivory tresses and Weiss found herself staring into mercury pools that shimmered with excitement. It was then that Weiss became aware of just how close the younger girl was and she blushed, looking away.

"Yup!" Teasing the embarrassed girl, Ruby popped the 'P' and Weiss groaned. "So?" Expectation soaked into Weiss' ears. Ugh, she'd have to give some sort of explanation.

"Well…" She paused, bearing her weight on her elbows and sitting up. Ruby shifted herself only so that she was still straddling Weiss' thighs and Weiss made a mental note of Ruby's unusual closeness, but decided to move past it for the time being. "It's for a disease I kinda' have. Don't worry! You can't catch it, so you're safe!"  _For the most part…_  "It's like a Diabetes and Gastroparesis complication. I can't digest food properly because of it, so I have to take this medicine. My blood sugar crashes and I do a lot of odd things. This developmental drug is supposed to help stabilize enzymes, sugars, all that kind of stuff but I have a mostly liquid diet to make absorption easier. I just have to make sure I take this ahead of time before I start acting weird."

"But you  **were**  acting weird, so that means you didn't take it? Wouldn't that be bad?" Of course, Ruby would realize she didn't take it.

"I just took it too late!" She mentally patted herself on the back… Unfortunately, now she'd have to pretend to actually have these problems… But what was she supposed to say? Hey, sorry I tried to eat you last night! I lost control for a minute because I didn't take half the dose of this  **extremely**  developmental drug that I'm actually supposed to take a full dose of whenever I feel weak. My bad! "Don't worry! I'm fine! I'm glad you were there to help out!"

"So, is that why you retired?"

"Eh, more or less…" Weiss shrugged.

"…Oh…" Ruby's voice was riddled with disappointment. What now? "I just thought about this… The whole reason I came up here…" Ruby pointed to Weiss' clean clothing. "I made breakfast, but you can't eat any…" She started to sniffle and now Weiss felt bad.

"Don't worry! I'll totally eat some!" This lie was probably going to kill her before anything else did. "That's what the meds are for!"

"Okay! I'll let you get changed!" Hopping off the bed, Ruby ran to the door, closing it behind her. She must have remembered something though because she paused halfway out the door. "Oh yeah, the other reason I came in here. Um, my sister wants to meet you…" Ruby quickly slinked out the door. Just great…

**ooOOoo**

"So, what's taking so long? If she were a  **real**  Hunter, she'd've been down here already!"

"RETIRED, Yang! Did you not get that part?" Ruby stared down the blonde as she stuffed her face.

"Hwell, you shee," Yang swallowed hard. "It's like programmed for life! There are just some things a Hunter never forgets!"

"Yeah, but she doesn't have to live like that anymore!" Ruby argued back.

"Actually, she's right, Ruby." Ruby turned around to see Weiss standing behind her, arms crossed and a brow quirked. "Weiss! You're here!" The younger girl all but glomped her savior, who sighed in response to Ruby's overwhelming excitement.

"You're pretty lively already," the former huntress pointed out.

"Only 'cause I have to go to school soon!" She grinned childishly at Weiss and Weiss returned it with a warm smile.

"Just… stay out of trouble."

"Aye aye, captain!" Ruby stood at attention and saluted her, before taking her hand and dragging her to the table. "Sit! Eat with us! See, Yang! She's really nice! See! See!... Yang?" Despite Ruby's efforts to get a reaction, Yang sat there looking as if she had seen a ghost. Already knowing where this was about to go, Weiss took a deep breath. She sat herself at the table across from Yang and observed the blonde before Ruby broke the silence. "Yang's really tired, but she said she wanted to thank you. Yang… This is the part where you thank her." Ruby laughed nervously. "Don't make this awkward." Intent on sitting near Weiss, Ruby stepped away, but Yang grabbed her arm firmly and stopped her.

"What are you?" The older sister's shock turned into a harsh glare.

"Yang! Don't be mean!" As Ruby scolded Yang, Weiss closed her eyes and folded her hands in front of her chin. She hunched over and used her elbows to support herself as she listened to the two bicker back and forth. "Weiss is a human!"

"Oh! Really, Ruby? You didn't see what I saw last night!" Yang pointed at Weiss. "She  **died** , Ruby! I watched a werewolf's  **claws**  go straight through her and then it tossed her like a ragdoll! A  **lifeless**  ragdoll! It destroyed Bumblebee with her  **corpse** , Rubes! My bike is  **wrecked**!"

"For the record, I was very much aware of what was going on and I'm relatively certain that I watched you pummel that beast with your fists as you screamed how it wrecked your bike with my body, so I wasn't  **lifeless**." Weiss air quoted the last word. "Furthermore, a lot happened in the heat of the moment. I'm sure you thought you saw a lot of things; just as I'm sure there were things you didn't see."

"Wait, you saw my sister last night?"

"Xiao Long? Yes," Weiss acknowledged. "I'm no longer an active hunter, but I was interested in seeing what sort of death sentence they assigned as a raid. Unfortunately, I was right. It went to shit very quickly and I must ask, what sort of Hunter leaves gear behind? Even if you were told it was a nest of vampires, you should expect them to have some sort of guardianship comprised of the White Fang sympathizers."

"Oh, this is a bunch of crap! Don't flip this on me and try to get out of it! You're definitely not Faunus – you've got no characteristics - but if you were a Vampire, you wouldn't be up during the light… But werebeasts can't touch silver nitrate… RAAAAH!" Yang ruffled her haired in frustration.

"You really should get some rest, Xiao Long." Weiss suggested. "I mentioned before that you overlooked details. I do wear gloves, which would eliminate the problem of silver; however, Vampires can get around it that way too."

"Wait… So Weiss…" Ruby looked extremely confused. “Isn't human?”

"I never said that, Ruby. I simply pointed out how easy it was for Xiao Long to overlook the truth." The annoyance in Weiss' voice was beginning to show. "As for your bike, I'm appalled at the fact that you were more concerned about the state of your bike than a civilian's safety – a civilian that risked their life to get your weapons to you, I might add. Either way, I nudged the tire and it fell. While you were rampaging over your bike, I fought off another beast that tore it to shreds. It escaped and I went to track it."

"And the blood that was everywhere?"

"Beast blood." Weiss stated, nodding in assurance. "It's amazing how much they have once they change." Yang began to settle down, taking in Weiss' answers. Maybe she was just tired and riled up like Weiss had suggested.

"You're still awfully young to be a retired huntress though… Why?" The question was genuine, containing no malice, and Weiss relaxed into a less aggressive state.

"Oh! That's right! Did you take your medicine?" Ruby's voice was full of concern.

"Medicine?" Yang's face matched Ruby's voice.

"She took her meds too late and passed out last night… Barely made it out of the shower." Yang snickered. "Weiss has this weird... stomach… thing… di…ur…etic grastointer… something…"

"I'd retire too if I were shitting myself!" Weiss frowned as Yang wiped her eyes. "So I'm pretty sure Ruby botched that pretty badly. She's bad at listening."

"I see where she gets it."

"Hey!"

"Gastroparesis… Diabetes… Can't process food correctly… Eat liquids… Meds help you function normally." Not wanting to repeat her earlier conversation with Ruby, Weiss summed it up very quickly.

"Oh… that sucks… Sooo…" Yang looked at the food Ruby had made. "What're you gonna' do about that?"

"Eat it," Weiss stated very blandly. "I wouldn't want Ruby's efforts to be for naught."

"Seriously though, Rubes." Yang took another bite. "You can't just bring strangers home and not tell me! What if she  **had**  been one of those things?"

"Yang, you and Uncle Qrow were very clear when you said  **anyone**  that wields a Lightforge blade is trustworthy! It's a sign that they work very closely with the Schnee and they are the best of the best. You said I couldn't get any safer than being around a Lightforge wielder and she has one! And she saved me! Twice!"

"Lightforge? You?" Yang became intrigued. "Implanted or inherited?"

"Inherited." Yang whistled.

"So you're an Elite! That's all you had to say. Coulda' saved yourself a lot of explanation!"

"An Elite?" Ruby became puzzled.

"Yeah, I'm sure we can explain that a little later, lil sis, but for now, you gotta' get off to school and I need to get some sleep. Weiss is welcome to stay as long as she likes, though I'm sure someone is waiting for her."

"Oh! Shoot!" Ruby scrambled around getting her things together. "I forgot!" She disappeared, with the sound of chaos trailing closely behind her.

"As I said earlier, lively…" The ivory haired girl pressed a steaming cup of coffee to her lips and grimaced as she swallowed. "I forgot how bitter this is." She reached for the sugar, stirring as she poured it.

"Haha, I take it you like sweet things?" Yang said slyly, earning a glare. "But yeah, she's a handful… but I love her… You can understand why I'm – "

"I had an overprotective older sister too. She was very kind and looked after me. I only ever wanted to impress her." Had? Past tense was never a good thing.

"I'm sure you've done her proud. An Elite! Haha, even if you're not active anymore, it takes one hell of a run to get to those ranks by your 30s and you did before your 20s. You'd've had to graduate early too! Either way, we'll talk more later!" Yang flashed a smile and began to walk away.

"I'll walk Ruby to where ever she's going and then come back." Weiss called out. As if on cue, Ruby slid into the kitchen with her bag and a uniform consisting of a brown gold-trimmed blazer and red plaid skirt with leggings that matched the blazer. Weiss chuckled to herself as the girl clumsily grabbed food from the table and shoved it into her mouth. To say Weiss felt cheated was an understatement. The uniform was cute, but sophisticated, and she had never even gotten the chance to wear it.

"Sounds good. Hit the buzzer and I'll buzz you back in," Yang said through a yawn. "Definitely wanna' talk more later!"

"Yay! Weiss is coming?!" The excited girl grabbed a surprised Weiss and dragged her toward the door with her. "Woohoo!"

"Hold on, Ruby!" Knowing what lay on the other side of the door, Weiss slammed her heels into the ground to try to slow the impatient girl down. "I said wait!"

"But it's beautiful outside!" The door swung open and Weiss threw her arms up in defense, shouting in pain as she was enveloped in the sun’s light.

 


	4. The Blacksmith and the Elder of Hive

_Lightforge – a holy element produced from deep within the human soul. Several carried it, but none were so wise to it as the Schnee. In the beginning, men only used it in the placement of wards, but it was an exhaustive practice and there were far too few to maintain the proper protections Lightforge offered. For some time, the Schnee had been heralded for their command over augmentative glyphs forged from Lightforge. While certainly not new, the extreme potency of their glyphs placed them at the forefront of Lightforge application, but it was when the Schnee learned to weaponize them that they truly came to power. They taught only the best how to manage them, but what set the Schnee’s glyphs apart was the ability to create glyphic weaponry, rather than just simply augmenting barriers. Sadly, these glyphic weapons could not be wielded by others and the Schnee sought another way. It was Roderick Schnee that became the first ever to capture the essence of the glyphs, applying it to physical weapons and armor and thus came the dawn of a new era. Appropriate at the time, he used a sword of silver that he coated with Lightforge before each battle. Time management via this method was poor, but the results were astounding and quickly turned the tide of battle._

_Still, this became taxing on Lightforge users; supplying so much to the ranks of Hunters. After some time, Elite warriors were trained in its usage. These warriors were often capable of producing Lightforge themselves and remained close to the Schnee. Searching for a way to increase the ranks of the Elite, the Schnee set about discovering a way to implant Lightforge within the members of its ranks. The process was grueling and only the finest of warriors could achieve proper assimilation, but once again, the results were astounding._

_While these “Implanted” units were unable to produce refined Lightforge, they could manufacture the essence and distribute it efficiently. They were the ideal support for any team and took pride in their role. As time passed, the frequency of attacks increased and the vampire ranks grew to record numbers, making Lightforge detrimental to Hunters. With the demand, great strides in technological advancement were made to increase the efficiency of Lightforge. Instead of simply pouring a vial over a weapon, a new method still used today came into play - though it is now more refined._

_Weapons were redesigned with Lightforge canisters built into them. Energy attractant properties were added to the weapons to guide Lightforge around the weapon. Methods to alter the rate of flow around the weapon were installed, enabling longer usage times and the ability to adapt to the situation at hand. Where only Silver users could fight werebeasts and Lightforge users were more acclimated to vampires, these warriors could now freely switch back and forth between properties. It was then that man decided to completely weaponize Lightforge and began its journey to finding an alternate method of warding._

_Sunlight – it was man’s oldest friend when it came to vampires. The UV rays contained within it had an almost acid-like property when it touched a vampire’s skin. Darkforge incinerated and vampires melted, often bursting into flames, while the Darkforge familiars of The Council fled at the slightest hint of daylight. At first, man held onto the belief that light itself drove them away, but that hope was soon dashed when vampires ate through villages by firelight. Torches were then deemed exclusive to holding werebeasts at bay as compared to the more cunning Children of Night, as vampires called themselves._

_It was only more recently that man discovered how to efficiently apply UV to civilian protection. The government started by mandating that all forms of night lighting have a UV property to it. The city started by adding UV lamps and a Hunter to all forms of public transportation, allowing for safe night travel. Main roads were receiving new UV lamp posts, making roads the safest they had been in ages. To country folk, the housing communities and cities alike became well-known for the purple haze that radiated above them by nightfall, establishing a beacon of hope for lost souls - a beacon of safe harbor for the less unfortunate. The center of this city became the first to adopt the UV lighting method, becoming better known as Beacon._

_Sadly, as I mentioned before, these new protective measures are not without their own faults. They have only begun recently, with the center of the city as the only part fully protected by UV light. Construction is nowhere near complete in the surrounding areas. The intention of the government is to complete the main roads first and then start on the suburb. In the mean time, the existence of UV home lighting and the increased presence of the Night Patrol go hand-in-hand. Raids by both daylight and nightfall have become far more frequent in an effort to clear out the vampire scourge and its sympathizers. Unfortunately, this is where the vampire menace became more cunning, earning humans’ trust until they are invited into their homes. In other cases, it is well-known that UV lighting has no effect on werebeasts and Faunus. With the enlistment of the White Fang’s aid, vampires are still able to carry out their misdeeds. And so, humanity still finds itself at odds._

**ooOOoo**

“Ah! Oh my Jesus flipping Chri – my eyes!” Weiss stumbled back and tripped, falling hard and writhing on the ground with her hands covering her eyes. “I said ‘Wait’!” A few distant chuckles came from the staircase, as Yang watched Weiss’ reaction to being blinded by the light. Ah, such were the ways of those who lived by night. In the case of Hunters mostly being out at night or indoors, you didn’t have to be a vampire for sunlight to kill your eyes. Pupil dilation was a bitch.

“Heh heh, hey Ruby. I guess you could say that was a very… unwEYES decision… pffft hahahaha!” The blonde tried to muffle herself, falling backward and holding her gut.

“Go to sleep, Yang!” Ruby pointed upstairs in mock-fury. Muffled laughs continued as Yang creaked up the stairs.

“Are you okay?” Ruby peeled the pale girl’s hands away, finding her wincing.

“Yes, yes,” Weiss motioned toward her in a shooing manner. “We need to get you on your way.” She sat up, taking the hand Ruby offered her. Making a mental note that Ruby never let go of her hand on the way out, the ex-Elite held her free hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.

Daylight – oh, how bittersweet it was. She remembered the days when she freely ran about with her friends – human, werebeast, and Faunus alike. She smirked at the memory of childhood best friend. He always flirted with her and she always put him off. It wasn’t like she didn’t feel bad when she turned him down for that school dance. There wasn’t anyone else of particular interest to her, but she didn’t want to lead him on with false interest. More, it was that she truly treasured her friendship with him and secretly shipped him with that Pyrrha girl that had the most obvious crush on him. It would be a lie if she said she didn’t also say no because of the rumored promise of seeing him in a dress and that was a sight to see! It was also probably the first time she had seen Yang Xiao Long, though the girl didn’t recognize her. Weiss looked at a lot different back then – much more reserved, far shorter hair, and a lot less mature… but that was before the accident. A squeeze to Weiss’ hand snapped her out of her thoughts and reminded her of Ruby’s presence.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, just reminiscing! It’s been a while since I’ve been out in daylight is all. Everything looks so different when it’s full of life!” A car passed them and several students littered the streets. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be anyone who recognized her - not that they’d be able to by appearance alone. Then again… white hair and blue eyes were a **very** rare trait… Did students know that???

“Yeah, it definitely is! It doesn’t look anywhere near as scary as it does at night!” The chipper girl became more somber. “… You and Yang deal with that all the time. You didn’t even seem afraid… but I froze…” A strong silence grew between them as Weiss took a moment to form the right words.

“Ruby, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid.” She stared earnestly into Ruby’s silver eyes. “Every decision I’ve ever made when it comes to Freaks could or has put people in danger, myself included. Your sister is the same, other than the ‘still being active’ part.”

“Weiss, can I tell you something?”

“Um, sure. Go ahead!”

“Well, I’m not really sure **why** I’m at Beacon.” Weiss cocked an eyebrow at Ruby’s statement. “I have no special skills that would be of use to anyone! I’m pretty sure it’s because the Schnee’s believe that I’m valuable to vampires, but in that case, it doesn’t make sense to put me in Beacon!”

“Why not?” Weiss mused. “It’s about as safe as you can get – probably even safer than the Schnee Compound.”

“I somehow doubt that. The compound has Elites and is full of Hunters.”

“The Elites don’t give a damn about that kind of stuff, Ruby.” Weiss sighed. “Elites are a selfish bunch that only fight to glorify themselves. They would gladly let vampires overrun the compound if it meant there were more of the damn things to slay. They just love that it gives them a reason to legally murder someone. **Avoid them at all costs.** ”

“But you’re an Elite.”

“ **Was**. Yes, but the fact I’m telling you this should speak for me. If I hadn’t been born with the ability to call forth Lightforge, I wouldn’t be an Elite. They would never consider someone like me as a candidate for a Lightforge Implant. You literally have to not give a shit about anyone but yourself. Elites are one-man armies against vampires. They don’t even show consideration for each other. If an Elite shows up, it typically means that an order to cleanse an area has been given… That means **everything** , Ruby – humans and Freaks alike.” Weiss squeezed her hand to emphasize her point. “At Beacon, you’re surrounded by some of the best Hunters the world has to offer, as well as students of all skill levels. Honestly, most of the teachers have the ability to take on Elites; they just don’t have the status that comes with the rank. Some of the students, like your sister, have already established themselves as Hunters and run missions for the compound. You couldn’t be in a safer place.”

“Yeah, but everyone else gets to do stuff and help out and I’m just here like…” Ruby pretended to wave a small flag and her voice became monotone. “Yeah… I go here too… Yeeeeeeeeah…. I’m super excited… You can catch me sitting on the sidelines while everyone else gets to spar.”

“Don’t feel so bad… I went through that too for a while, but then I discovered I could do something no one else could and they had no choice but to acknowledge it.” The snowy girl put on a reassuring smile. “You just have to find what it is that makes you invaluable!” Weiss’ tone turned somewhat serious. “Sometimes it’s the people behind the scenes that play the most important roles.”

“Weeeeelllll, I **am** a bit of a weapon’s enthusiast! By the way, can I look at your sword later?” Her pixie cut bobbed as her excitement reanimated her. “I’ve never actually gotten to see a Lightforge weapon up close, but I’ve seen the blueprints for them. They’re so awesome and –“

“Calm down!” It was decided that Ruby could be very overwhelming when she got excited. “I’m not so sure that I should let you.”

“Oh, come on! That’s what Ironwood and Uncle Qrow keep saying!” The downtrodden girl kicked at the ground. “I mean, I can be careful!”

“You know Ironwood?” Figures, but this revelation piqued Weiss’ interest anyway.

“Yeah! Uncle Qrow taught me some stuff about building weapons and Yang showed me auto stuff, so they put me in the armory with Ironwood.” She shrugged like it wasn’t anything impressive for her age. “It’s pretty fun, I guess. I get to help him out with the Weapons-Tech stuff, but I’m still not allowed to touch the Elite Arms.”

“Huh.” Well, that was unexpected. Ruby worked with Ironwood on occasion. While working under the compound, Weiss had only truly ever been allowed to work in the gun cage... with Ironwood. It ‘kept her busy’, but the truth was it only served as the distraction her father needed to put off her pleads to be something useful. Not that it had made a difference in the long run, but she could relate to Ruby’s plight. Reflecting back, she was a far more thankful for the knowledge she picked up from the older man now that her more impatient self had been. His wisdom had served her well. “How’s the old man doing?”

“Ironwood? Eh, he’s ok, I guess. He could be way better, though.” A frown spread across Ruby’s face.

“Is he sick?”

“No…” Her frown increased. “His daughter is missing and no one’s been able to find her… They’ve labeled her a lost cause. A vampire attack happened when she was staying with a friend.  The whole family was killed, but no traces of Penny…” Tears welled up in Ruby’s eyes and she looked at Weiss. “We were good friends, Weiss… I’ve lost so many good friends…” The paler girl’s heart sank with Ruby’s demeanor and she internally debated on how she could help. “Do you think you could find her?”

“I’m sorry, Ruby.” Weiss shook her head. “I can’t…” And that was when Ruby hit her with it… the puppy dog eyes.  Weiss sighed and resigned herself. “But I **might** know someone who can.” Her companion instantly brightened. “But, no guarantees! And I can’t promise she’ll be alive, either!” She added quickly.

“Thank you!” Almost instantly, the girl returned to her cheerful self, launching herself at Weiss in a warm hug. “You don’t know how happy that’ll make him!”

“Yeah,” Weiss looked elsewhere. “Could you just… not tell him until I find her?” A confused look from Ruby met her. “Well, I wouldn’t want to get his hopes up just to find out she’s dead or turned… That kind of thing can crush a man… and sometimes, a false sense of hope is what you need to get through things.”

“Hmm,” Ruby hummed in thought. “You’re right. I won’t say anything. Plus, he’ll be caught by surprise and it’ll be even more awesome!” With Ruby still attached to her front, Weiss peered over her shoulder and found a bus nearing them.

“That’s your bus, right?” The clingy girl hung back from Weiss to take a look, taking Weiss with her. Identifying it as her transportation, she detached herself and waved as she ran toward the stop.

“Bye, Weiss! I’ll see you later!” She grinned as she ran. “Oh! And I was serious about your sword!”

“I know!” Weiss called back. “… Maybe… And that’s a **huge** ‘Maybe’.” She watched Ruby board the bus and run straight to the back, continuing to wave goodbye. There was something alluring about her excitement and it ensnared Weiss… She was downright adorable… But Weiss had been aware of this for some time now. While she’d never encountered Ruby face-to-face, she had kept tabs on both the sisters from afar for years; and that included her time as a Schnee. They were actually supposed to be formally introduced before the accident had happened…

While Ruby’s address had been kept on file, Weiss had not been permitted to interact with. When she finally had, misfortune had its way with her and she found herself forbidden from interacting with them all over again. Around that time, their place of residency began to change every year, and while she knew the vicinity in which they lived, she did not know what street or house. She knew that Ruby went out with friends after school, instead of home, like she was supposed to. She knew Ruby liked to chance getting home before dark and she would sometimes follow her to make sure she was fine. She was aware of the circumstances behind the deaths of Ruby’s parents from both the Schnee and Council’s point of view, and because of that, she knew why so many desired to stake their claim on her. But above all, she knew that Ruby had to be protected at all costs, and during her days as a Schnee, she had spent many a night studying her.

Weiss would be certain that no Child of Night would ever lay its claws on her… she just needed to know where she lived… Unfortunately, just as Ruby would be getting to her neighborhood, something would happen that demanded Weiss’ immediate attention. Yang would be in danger, some sort of creature tracking Ruby needed to be taken out, Weiss needed to avoid being recognized, or her immediate presence was demanded by Hive or The Council. It was a real pain in the ass trying to juggle so much all at once.

The former Huntress sighed before turning around and aimlessly wandering about. She could either go back to the Rose-Xiao Long residence and wait for some semblance of life to wander about the home… or start on Ruby’s quest for Ironwood’s daughter. This girl was already becoming quite a handful but maybe this was the best option. Unfortunately, this would land her dabbling with the darker side of things – wasn’t that just peachy… but if Penny Polendina was to be found safe and sound, this would be to Weiss’ advantage.

**ooOOoo**

“Ruuuubyyyyyy!!!!” A hard tackle slammed into Ruby’s side. “I’ve brought pancakes!!!!” A strawberry blonde girl rung her in by her neck and presented Ruby with stack upon stack of the moist pastry – all carried by her dark-haired friend. “Renny here made them! And he enjoyed making them! Right, Renny?” Her voice was laced with intimidation and Ruby felt bad for the guy. Nora was fun to be around, but it was frightening to think that he had to live with her and go through this all day, every day.

“Right, Nora. Now, please calm down.” Ren’s spoke with a patience equal to that of a saint. He carried the plates over to a nearby table, setting them down and dividing them among the seats. His house mate had been very insistent about having these pancakes ready for Ruby. ‘Cheer Up Pancakes’ she called them, but they were really just chocolate chip and strawberry pancakes. Well, whatever reason Ruby had to be sad, he was sure that they would do the trick.

“Um, what’s the occasion?” Nora dropped her fork, latching on to Ruby’s collar and pulling her close to touch her forehead.

“She doesn’t have a fever, Renny. Maybe she’s in shock???”

“Um, seriously guys, why?” Ruby gradually became more and more confused by the second, praying that someone would appear to help her make sense of the situation.

“Hey, Ruby!” And like that, her prayers were answered. Good ol’ Jaune to save the day! “Pancakes?... Is Ruby sad?”

“No! That’s what’s wrong!!!” Nora yelled. “I think she’s in shock!”

“Over?” Jaune exchanged an equally confused look with Ruby.

“Yang went on a raid last night! She always comes back hurt and Ruby’s always sad! It must have been really bad for her to not know!”

“Guys, I’m not in shock and Yang’s fine!”

“Did you not hear that like everyone in Yang’s unit died last night?” Nora exclaimed. “Like, I mean, only three survivors!”

“Holy shit, only three?” Jaune was surprised. There was no way last night’s raid should have gone so badly - maybe a few losses of life, but not a whole squadron. The den that was reported didn’t even garner that high of threat level. They were just clearing it to clear it. “That means they failed the entire mission… How’s Yang?... Huh?” A strange odor filled Jaune’s nose and his expression quirked as he tried to figure it out. He sniffed trying to figure out where it was coming from.

“It’s like you guys aren’t listening! She’s totally fine! She’s at home sleeping, right now! And – excuse me Jaune…” Jaune was totally invading her space, sniffing near her sides and now by her neck. “Can I help you?”

“Huh? Oh!” He blushed and tried to hide his embarrassment. Whenever he picked up a strange scent, he was strongly inclined to investigate; such was the way of his beast. “Sorry, it’s just, you smell different… like a touch of vampire different…” Ruby looked up in thought.

“Well, actually, I was kinda’ getting to that.” Oh! So **now** they wanted to listen! “So, I totally missed that bus I was supposed to take home yesterday.”

“Why didn’t you just come back to my house, then?!” Jaune yelled.

“Because I didn’t want to get in trouble for being out…” Ruby twiddled her thumbs, as was normal. “But I ran into this vampire and I was saved by this ex-huntress. Apparently, she saved Yang too and she was hunting an escaped werebeast that came after me, so she technically saved me twice – turns out she uses Lightforge and has the **coolest** sword! She’s gonna’ let me check it out later!” Hope and admiration glittered in Ruby’s eye.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa – later?” Jaune cringed.

“Yeah! It’s gonna’ be so awesome, Jaune! I get to see Lightforge! In person!!!”

“But why is she coming back to your house tonight? She doesn’t know you,” Jaune’s overprotectiveness began to kick in, as was also instilled in his breed. “Do you even know what those people are like, Ruby?! You’re talking about an Elite! They’re **evil**!”

“Crampin’ your style, Jaune?” Nora nudged him teasingly.

“What?! No! For the last time, guys, I’m not into Ruby!!! Besides, we all know what Ruby likes!”

“Yeaaaah, Yang still thinks you’re going to ask me out…” The blonde boy’s blue eyes widened. Ruby was cute, and yeah, maybe he’d ask her out if he didn’t totally look at her like a little sister and if she wasn’t totally into… well, not guys...

“What? That’s silly! You know I wouldn’t wanna’ make things awkward! Like, maybe we go to dances as friends and stuff, but we totally wouldn’t work out, hehehehahaha….” His laugh became nervous enough to warrant clearly unimpressed looks from the orange and black-haired duo. In comparison, Ruby’s ‘kind Elite’ was a far more believable story. “Aaaanywaaaay, so about this Elite. They’re usually really stuck up.”

“Oh my gosh, Jaune, she’s so awesome! She walked me home last night and she was so nice… I mean, she scolded me for being out so late, but then she protected me and she was so amazing. She looked so cool when she used her Lightforge and she was all like SHING! WHAM! And then they were all like PSSSSSH!” Ruby did her best impersonation of swinging a sword around and her attackers’ blood apparently spewing. Actually, the whole display was like something out of one of Nora’s stories. “So I asked her to stay the night last night and she did, which was really awesome cuz’ I didn’t want be home alone, and then I washed her clothes because they were covered in blood. She’s really slender and pretty… and sweet too! And then I had to wake her up this morning to come downstairs for breakfast –“

“Hold up! Downstairs? As in she slept upstairs?” Yang never let him sleep upstairs! What the hell!

“Well yeah, where else would she sleep?” Ruby answered quickly with a rhetorical question before continuing on. “But yeah, she’s like super cute in the morning too and she smiled when she saw me and then she walked me to the bus and offered to help find Penny! You guys totally have to meet her some time!”

“Ruby’s cruuushiiiiiing!!!!” Nora teased in sing song.

“Am not!” Red spread across the flustered girl’s face and she became sheepish. “She’s just… really… cool…”

“Coulda’ fooled me,” Nora’s voice dripping with monotone as she picked at her ear. With a mischievous grin, she looked to Ren. “She’s in deniiiiaaaaallll!”

“Am not!” A very distracting beep chimed from Ruby’s phone and she fished it out. “Oh! I have to go check in so they know I made it here! I’ll see you guys later! And thanks for the pancakes, Ren!” She waved as she ran off.

“Hey! I helped too!” Nora protested, mellowing out as Ruby disappeared. She cocked an eyebrow at Jaune, who returned her look. “So… An Elite?”

“I’ll admit, this to be one of Ruby’s more… interesting, if not concerning ventures,” Ren pointed out.

“Aren’t Elites kinda’… Old?” The orange haired girl mused allowed. “Who’d’ve thought Ruby would be into older girls!” Nora bonked herself in the head. “Well, she’s full of surprises.”

“Well, I don’t like it!” Jaune fumed. “She’s gotta’ be, what, 15? 20 years older than Ruby? I don’t buy it!” He shot a look to his friends, hoping to find agreement, but instead he was met with his friends’ still unamused expressions.

“You sure you’re not gonna’ ask her out?”The question was monotone, but Nora’s lips betrayed her amusement with him when they twisted into a smirk at the end of her question.

 “YES!”

**ooOOoo**

It was so dark and cold. The moisture in the air provided a sickening chill to his already clamming body. What little strength he had remaining, he put into lighting a cigarette with the single arm that still had movement and gave a pitiful laugh. Surrounded in a nest of vampires, searching for his daughter, with the mangled limbs of his former allies strewn about – this was how The Great Ironwood would see his demise. He had hoped to be able to see his little Penny’s smile once more or at least be able to know that his dying breath would see her safely home, but alas, a young vampiress who strangely reminded him of Penny’s favorite ice cream had stripped him of his only wish… That ice cream… What was it called? Neosporin?... No, that wasn’t right. Neo-neo…politan! Neopolitan! That chocolate, vanilla, strawberry crap she was so fond of! Oh, how he missed her fondness of the stuff. Funny how one of those monsters could make him think of something so harmless, but unlike the ice cream, she was anything but sweet.

Cruelty - absolutely, unadulterated cruelty. That was what she had showered his comrades with, torturing them in the most inhumane ways, and yet never even making a sound. A silent assassin she was, effectively massacring the entire unit without him ever knowing… He never even saw her come up behind him… and that was when the little bitch bit him… and then danced away with his blood flowing behind her like crimson streamers. Unlike the others though, she imprinted the most heartless of smiles upon his memories before leaving him to her underlings’ biddings.

Vaguely, he recalled something about a servant to the council that matched her description – Neo, he believed they had taken to calling her. How… appropriate. This Neo definitely wasn’t an Elder though. No, she had no control over Darkforge itself, simply shown in her choice of attire. Those Elder ranks of these parasites opted to clothe themselves in threads fashioned from their own power. Their appearance was veiled in darkness devoid of the traditional identifying characteristics outside of gender. No, Neo was known simply as a servant to one of the lesser known Elders; an Elder without a name, coined as The Fire Empress. Neo was only a Noble, which while still bad, had significantly better odds of survival due to their one flaw… They were arrogant and often left their victims’ fates to their often inept inferiors.

“We’re so very hungry! Won’t you join us for a bite?” One of Neo’s minions hissed as the group prowled around him. “We’re dying of thiiirrrst.” She prolonged her last word for a torturous length of time, stomping into his chest and knocking his cigarette from his lips. Bitch couldn’t even let him enjoy his dying smoke. He spit to his side and glared defiantly into her mocking eyes.

“Alright little bitch, let’s just get this over with!” He wouldn’t let her have the satisfaction of fear in his final moments. She frowned before shouting curses at him, signaling for all to lunge after him. Wincing in preparation, he braced himself for the inevitable pain that would grant him release but it never came. Hesitantly, he opened a single eye and found himself eye-to-eye with the vampiress’ fear-painted face. Traveling downward, his eyes found a dark blade protruding from her the center of her chest. His eyes returned to the gaping expression that held her aghast and with a howl of pain, a blue flame combusted from within her, charring her from the inside out until she was left a crumbling husk. In his attacker’s place stood the silhouette of single entity, blade fixed on him. Eyes of an imperious cardinal hue pierced through the slender frame that stood before him cloaked in a shroud of ragged darkness… An Elder…

“For it is in passing that we all return to dust.” _The Remorse of a Huntsman_. Ironwood’s eyes widened in recognition, for every huntsman knew it by heart. It was the most famed line from a poem that later became a prayer of sorts to huntsmen as they honored their fallen brethren, but moreso, it was spoken to honor the souls lost to the war against Freaks. Just the same, it could be said that the vampiress had been released from the evil that had poisoned her soul, but it was unheard of for one of **them** to utter these words.

Murmurs of betrayal echoed through the room, but went completely ignored by the Elder. With the Elder’s arrival, the pack shrank away, not privy to challenging the pure-blood variety. However, they still skulked about, awaiting their master’s permission to consume him. It was inevitable. He would perish, but just how much worse could this get? It would take a miracle to save him from this fate, but even then, he would turn into one of them and be put down.

“How humbling it is that I am to be graced by your presence once more, Sir Ironwood.” Did they know each other? The Elder’s blade faded away, opting instead to lean in closer and tilt his chin so that their eyes were level. Rather than forcing him, gentle fingers supported him…  A sign of respect?… How strange. “You don’t look so well,” it said solemnly. Was that even possible? For one of these monsters to lament toward a human’s anguish? Ironwood’s gaze diverted to a lesser vampire intent to brave the Elder’s power, yet the Elder never once looked. Instead, when it lunged at them, the tatters of the Elder’s shroud took its own liberties in dispatching him with sharpened tendrils. “Don’t pay them any mind. I am inquiring as to your well-being as well as your intrusion into such dangerous territory?”

“Elder, why do you betray us!” The lackey’s words fell on deaf ears and the Elder went on as if they didn’t exist.

“Sir James?” The Elder must have seen the confusion clearly expressed in his eyes and he could only imagine its thoughts. It definitely knew him… somehow… Especially, if it knew him by his first and last name. He racked his brain to think of anyone who would have called him by the title of ‘Sir’ but no one came to mind. Ironwood continued to search the Elder’s eyes – intense they were, yes, but there was no malice contained within them. Tricky creatures they were, but their eyes often revealed their intentions and Ironwood found only concern.

“My daughter…” His words spilled out weakly, but he summoned his remaining strength. “Where do you have her!” The Elder leaned back, surprised at the reserve of energy he had found within himself.

“There is no need to shout,” it said calmly. “I assure you that I can hear you… and I mean you no harm.” It was strange that Ironwood felt he could trust those words. A further glance over the Elder revealed that she was also a vampiress. With Neo’s former presence and what little knowledge he had of the location in mind, a quick guess would lead one to assume that this was The Fire Empress; however, this piress’ powers betrayed her as someone else… and judging by the reactions of the servants, someone whose presence was not entirely welcomed. An Elder from a separate coven? But they had no information on other local female-driven covens… Only The Fire Empress and The Telepathic One, but being wanted by The Council for treason, Goodwitch had long since fled. Maybe a consort? Or a coven from outside the lands that Goodwitch had enlisted. “Information regarding Miss Polendina’s current status seems to be a rather popular request today.” Her words both filled him with hope and left his heart hollow. This Elder knew of her, so he could at least know of his daughter’s fate. “But, no, I sadly have not seen her.” And like that, that flame of hope that flickered within him died.

“You said others have asked about her! Who else?” Others were looking for her? Who were these others and why did they want her? With the surge in his adrenaline, the coven surrounding them became more restless and prowled around them once more. The Elder huffed in annoyance and stood.

“I have an image to keep up. You’ll take credit for this, won’t you?” She held her arm out, impaling each of the remaining stragglers. Ironwood’s face clearly displayed shock at her actions and she looked at him skeptically. “What? Would you rather I left them to do as they pleased? I’m sure nothing good would have come of it. They’re too far gone to be saved.”

“Why? Why would you do this?” Nothing about this Elder made sense. Unlike the first vampire, these recent kills simply crumbled into ash. The second vampire had received the same fate, but the blade must have held a different power within it. Thinking back, its appearance did remind him of something oddly familiar. “What’s going on? Who are you? And where did they take my Penny?” The Elder sighed once more, leaning down to put herself on Ironwood’s level, so as to not look down on him… another strange action. They usually preferred to be excessively dominant.

“I do not know why Miss Polendina was taken; however, I’m to assume it was to incite retaliation. As for why I do this, it is because we require your assistance.”

“Why would I help The Council?!” He fought back, clearly insulted.

“Because you wouldn’t.” The Elder stated plainly. “I’m not here on behalf of The Council. I’m here as the head of the Hive Syndicate.” Hive?! Fuck! “You see, I’m a collector of those who are freshly-turned and a firm believer that if a beast can be tamed, so too can a vampire. Hive is living proof of that very belief.” The Elder motioned to the kiss that Neo had bestowed upon Ironwood’s neck. “With that in mind, it may be in your best interest to take me up on this offer. I **will not** hesitate to put you down when you Frenzy.”

“If my Penny isn’t safe, then there is no other reason for me to go on.” The plight of a broken man… The vampiress sighed. This was going to be far more taxing than she had originally planned.

“Just like you, we’re in the business of protecting humanity. We’re weaponizing Darkforge for human use, but we’ve reaching an impasse that we believe you can assist us with.”

“That’s impossible.”

“But it isn’t… and I’ll be more than happy to show you, should you accept my offer.” As tempting as the offer was, he couldn’t have given a shit less. Penny was all that mattered, but maybe if he played his cards right, this could work out for both parties.

“My daughter…” Not this again. “Bring her to me **safely** and I’ll consider it.” Yep, just one more to add to her growing list of pains in her ass.

“As I said, Miss Polendina has been rather popular today.” His curiosity piqued at the reminder. “You wished to know earlier, correct? You’re not the first to ask me today.”

“Who?” The vampiress grinned.

“I believe the girl occasionally works in the Armory with you. Most likely to be kept safe under your watchful eye? You always were a very talented man.” She gave him a moment to let it sink in and his confusion mounted, widening his eyes in realization.

“How would she know you? When?!” The fear was evident. “Stay away from her!”

“Now **that** is a request I cannot grant. She’s far too important to me to let anything happen to her and her _guardians_ \-  if you can call them that - are quite inefficient… so I’ve made more appropriate arrangements, assuming they will remain as useless as they currently are. I mean, really, both Ruby and Miss Xiao Long were nearly killed last night. They’re lucky I had someone nearby.”

“Wait… They’re important?...” The Elder nodded. “To you?”

“Really, only one of them is. I assume that we both know which one I mean, due to her particular… bloodline, but we will save the _why_ for another time, Sir Ironwood. As for the _how_ and _when_ , you could say it was an indirect request through a mutual contact. She knows not that someone from Hive, let alone The Council, is assisting with locating Miss Polendina.”

“By mutual contact, you mean the _someone nearby_ , don’t you?”

“Debatable, but really, Sir Ironwood, we should get you fixed up.” She waved a hand across his wound and he felt it stitching itself together beneath her fingers. “Well, the mutation has taken enough root within you that Darkforge heals you now… Just don’t let them use Lightforge or Holy on you and you should be fine… well, until your new instincts take over.”

“Can’t we just kill her before that?”

“While it’s true that that would most certainly cure you, I do still need Neo in one piece. Neo’s absence will cause distrust and ruin The Council’s order. This will make it very difficult for me to get any information, let alone anything about Miss Polendina.” The Elder paused in thought. “For now though, you are still well enough to return to the Schnee Compound without detection.” She searched the inside of his jacket and removed his wallet from the inline pocket.

“Hive, what are you doing!” He snatched for it back, but the Elder simply moved out of the way and flipped through the leather wallet.

“Hive, eh? I do suppose I rather like that. Ah!” Hive slid a small slip of paper out from behind Ironwood’s ID card. Immediately, he recognized what she had taken.

“Put that back!”

“Oh hush! I know you have several more of these!” She flipped it around, revealing a photograph of an overjoyed Penny. “As for me, it’s been quite some time since I last saw Miss Polendina… hmmm.” Hive stared at the image for a moment. “She’s gotten a lot taller than I last remember.”Hive sighed. “And yet I’m still physically the same…” Just past the image, Hive took notice of a softened look in Ironwood’s in the direction of the image. She looked to the picture and turned it over again, noticing of a few words scrawled on the back. _So you can always remember to come home, Daddy._ “I’ll take good care of it and bring it back… along with your daughter.” The Elder offered a hand to help him up, and though still battling with his inner feelings on the spectacle before him, he took the piress’ hand.

Leading him by his hand, she took him toward the entrance to the mansion that was now the final resting place of his comrades. He grimaced at the thought of his failure; filling with remorse at the knowledge he was leaving with significantly less men… none, to be exact. Technically, he couldn’t even consider himself a survivor, but Hive had ensured that he wouldn’t be discovered through the standard physical inspection. His wounds were healed; though he was still sore everywhere… It would only be a matter of time before he was overcome with the burning sensation that would fill his body and he would lose himself to the thirst that came with Vampirism. Could he really live this way? He shook his head. He had to find Penny before he could let it run him. He would resist it until the very end. It was then that he noticed something strange.

“What are you doing?” The Elder had turned the handle and was pushing the door open.

“Letting you out?” It seemed to her that it should have been obvious, but her voice came off more amused than anything. “Unless you should like to remain here. I can also arrange for that.” Yep, the little shit was amused with him.

“No, I mean the sunlight!” White teeth gleamed a glamorous grin and she effortlessly shoved the doors open.

“I wouldn’t worry too much.” Casually, she stepped into the sunlight and just as Ironwood had feared, her shroud began to smoke.

“This is what I meant!”

“Oh, this?” She motioned to herself, pressing her hand to her chest. “Hah! This is nothing!”

“Huh?” Confusion – massive confusion. A vampire without fear of the sun. This wasn’t good.

“Darkforge can’t exist in sunlight, and so it burns. I, myself, am not actually burning.” Hive took note of his skepticism. “No really! It doesn’t even phase me!” She stepped further into the light. “If I were you though, I’d get outta’ here!” A small flame burst over her hand and the Darkforge began to singe away, revealing a glove. “Ah, well! I shall leave you to it, then!” Hive bowed whimsically and jumped off into the distance, bounding across a few buildings before completely disappearing.

Lugging his aching body out of the grounds, Ironwood contemplated to himself about the experience he had. This was extremely implicative of an assortment of strange circumstances. An elder had spared him and was willing to look for his daughter, not only because she wanted his services, but because she received a request from Ruby Rose – the very individual the council desired to capture… and this Elder had absolutely no qualms with sunlight, even as its shroud burned away… and this very same Elder was the leader of Hive – an openly anti-Council group that was known to enlist the aid of and house vampires, werebeast, Faunus, ex-White Fang, all while welcoming humans, should they be brave enough…

And they were enemies to the Schnee Compound for that very reason.


	5. The Originator and the Three Anomalies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the 2nd set of two chapters! I will probably be releasing these in sets of two or three until I catch up with the original post on FF!

_“Have we made any headway with finding my daughter?”_

Meetings with Jacques Schnee were always a less than pleasurable experience for Qrow, but he always had the misfortune of reporting directly to him. Unfortunately, the headmaster of Beacon was an abnormally busy man that was rarely able to file reports, and so Qrow was left with the task of keeping the Schnee patriarch informed. For quite some time, the relationship between the two men had concerned Qrow, but time allowed for an understanding of the less than desirable partnership. And so,  Qrow became a willing messenger boy as long as it enabled his nieces’ protection.

As for the Schnee daughters, the entire situation was sad. The younger sibling had always been attached to her older sister’s side and always sought for her approval. The very thought always brought a smile to his lips when he remembered how much they reminded him of Ruby and Yang. Of course, both Winter and Weiss had been born special, but the latter had been born with something extra and her very existence was squandered away for quite some time. It was when Jacques sent Winter to an early grave that the mountain of problems escalated even further and now they found themselves at a standstill.

“Oh man…” He sighed and rubbed his head, stopping in front of the school gate to remind himself of the reasons he did everything.

“Uncle Qrow!!! Did you miss me?” A blur of red latched onto his arm, eagerly awaiting a response. He summoned the strength to reinvigorate himself and tapped her forehead, causing her to scrunch her eyes.

“No!” They shared a laugh and she hopped down, still smiling brightly.

“Are you finally coming home?” With a whimsical smile, he flashed a look in her direction.

“Don’t you have a check-in to get to?” He grinned as she frowned in disapproval. “Not just yet. I’m stopping by home to check on Yang. I heard about last night…”

“Oh… yeah…” Before Weiss had saved her, Ruby recalled the very real fear she had felt and wondered if Yang always felt that way… which reminded her… “Oh! I have to introduce you to my new friend! You might run into her when you go home. She dropped me off at the bus and she’s staying with us for a little while.”

“Really, now? Well, I’ll see her if she’s there! You get checked in, kiddo.” Ruffling her hair, he gave her a light push to send her off.

“I’ll see you later!” She called back as she disappeared out of sight. Summer’s daughter was such a handful sometimes, but he loved her all the more for it.

**ooOOoo**

“Vampires have existed for almost as long as time itself, dating back even to Ancient Egypt, but their earliest know origins date back to the times of barbarians! All throughout time, various forms of vampirism have been practiced! Why, under Genghis Kahn, the Mongolians rode horseback and fed on blood from the necks of their horses to save time. A nearly all-liquid diet avoided unnecessary stops for defecation! But today, we’re discussing even earlier than that!” The portly teacher’s bushy mustache bounced with every excited word. “Today, we discuss **The Originator**. Now, who can tell me why this is important?” He peered over the class. “Anyone?”

This class was always so boring that most students found themselves preoccupied with literally anything they could think of, including doodling in the corners of workbooks, much like Ruby. With the sudden absence of sound, Ruby’s pencil came to a stop and stole a look at Jaune’s dozing form, and Nora, who was staring at the ceiling as she balanced her chair on the hind legs. Hunched over with his hand digging in his cheek, Ren couldn’t have looked more like he wanted to leave if he tried. Clearly, he wanted to join Jaune, but he couldn’t let himself risk it. Since Nora had the attention span of a fly, she would need him to summarize everything later.

“Mr. Arc!” Jaune bolted up to stand at attention, painfully jerking his desk with him. Feeling the pain he must have been hiding, Ruby hissed inwardly for him.

“Huh? What?” Half-lidded eyes darted across the room in search of the booming voice and he went pale.

“I see you are a fountain of knowledge when it comes to **The Originator**. If you can sleep through my lesson, you are obviously well-versed! Please, share with us what you know!”

“Uhhh, heeee…. Ummmm….” Desperately looking for any help, Jaune landed on Ruby, who was trying to sign him some sort of answer. The girl arced her finger in front of her mouth like fangs. Okay. “Heee…. iiisssss a vampire… wiiiith fangs! Yep! He’s got those!” Ruby smacked herself in the forehead and tried to continue. She cupped her hands around her eyes like she was trying to focus her sight and turned from side to side and then shrugged. “Annnd, he doesn’t… know how to use them?” A ball of paper bounced off of Jaune’s head. “Hey!”

“Pffft, hahah.” A well-built boy with short brown hair leaned back in his chair with his legs propped up on his desk. Of course, Cardin Winchester would be the one to laugh at his failure. “Hey, dweeb, try paying attention next time!” Cardin’s buddies snickered with him.

“Oh ho ho,” Professor Port gave a jolly laugh that ruffled his thick mustache. “Mr. Arc, my boy, take note! Show some enthusiasm, like Mr. Winchester, here! Tell me, Mr. Winchester, why is The Originator important?” Cardin sat up and grinned snidely in Jaune’s direction.

“Simple,” Cardin scoffed. “Everyone knows he’s the creator of the vampire menace but we don’t know where he is! For years, he was at the head of vampire attacks and then he just completely vanished. Not a trace.” Ohhhh! Suddenly, Ruby’s binocular gesture made so much sense… She meant **searching**.

“Quite right, my boy!” The professor turned his jolly frame and began to pace. “We can learn much about vampire behavior by studying him! We do know that he exists though! For if he were to have perished, no vampire would exist to this day! Vampires cannot exist without their sire! The taint leaves them and they become human once more!” The portly man paused for moment and then spun around with vigor. “This reminds me of that time my unit was hunting in a dark cave! There we were surrounded by an entire coven with our backs to the walls! Oh ho ho ho! But it was my quick thinking and identifying the head vampire that saved us all that day!” Several groans echoed through the classroom as the older man relived his glory days. **DING DING DING.** YES! Saved by the bell! Students rushed to the door to escape Port’s story as quickly as possible. “Remember, students! I want a full page essay on the hierarchy of vampires by next class!”

“Oh man,” Nora barreled into Jaune, putting all her weight on him. “Cardin made you look all kinds of dumb!”

“Stooooop! C’mon! Not you, too!” Jaune tried to wave her away.

“Don’t be a sissy, Jaune!” She teased. “Seriously! Ruby even tried to help you out! Totally loved the binoculars, by the way!” Shooting finger guns at her, the boisterous girl grinned at Ruby.

“I know! I thought they were genius too!” The darker haired girl stated proudly.

“It’s that kind of thinking that’ll take you places, Miss Rose!” Doing her best Port impression, Nora put a finger under her nose to imitate his mustache, puffed her chest out proudly, and muffled her voice. “Why this one time, I thought my way through an entire game of Charades and carried my team! But that’s not as exciting as the time I fended off the White Fang with Tic-Tac-Toe! It was an all-out war zone, but X marked the spot on that day!” This one actually earned a chuckled from Ren, making Nora smile warmly and latch onto the quiet boy. “Rennyyyyy!”

“So what are you doing after classes today, Jaune?” Ruby inquired and he shrugged in response.

“Not much other than some training stuff. That’ll probably run a bit late. This week is VYC’s shift, so Team JNR’s on duty next week.”

“Yeeeah, Yang did mention she’s on duty again tonight.” She sighed. “It sucks because of everything they just went through last night.”

“If it makes it any better, because of that, they’ll probably put her in a light duty area. At least, I’d hope so. Velvet’s pretty timid and that was a rough first mission. Coco should be tending to Velvet and Yang doesn’t have a partner, right now.”

“Yeah, too bad about that guy! What was his name? I just remember goggles and he kept waving that weird ass trident around…” Nora puffed her cheeks out and crossed her arms. “I told him it was a stupid weapon.”

“Nora…” Ren looked at her disapprovingly.

“What! None of us remember his name! Just his stupid weapon and that he hit on everything that breathed!”

“Still rude…” Jaune added.

“That reminds me, why don’t they just partner Jaune and Yang up?” Ruby wondered out loud. Nora and Jaune looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

“That’s a **horrible** idea!” Nora fell to the ground. “I don’t know what would be worse – Jaune’s luck or Yang’s puns! Team Blonde for the win!”

“Jokes aside though, does anyone else find it strange how all the professors seem to be focusing on The Originator and ancient ‘pires?” Ever serious, Ren was the one to pose the question.

“Now that I think about it, yeah, that has been kinda’ odd,” Jaune mused aloud. “Why do you think that is?”

“Either, they’ve taken someone into custody and gotten information out of them or they’re preparing the rookies for a possible stand-off or pursuit of The Originator and other Elder-level vampires.”

“That’s sounds dangerous,” Ruby said quietly. “I… don’t want any of you to get hurt too…” Soft gazes set upon her and Nora who tackled her in a cheerful hug.

“Ruby Rose! You seriously doubt the sheer amazingness of the one and only Queen of the Castle?!” Nora exclaimed in mock offense. “I find your lack of faith… disturbing…” Earning a giggle, the orange-haired girl tapped her forehead to Ruby’s. Even with everything they had all been through, it was moments like these they lived for.

**ooOOoo**

Passing through the gate, the worn old Qrow noted the poor condition of his niece’s bike. A truly sad state for Bumblebee to be left in, he was sure that she would work tirelessly to return it to working order when her shifts were completed. The fact that she wasn’t working on it right now was proof enough that she was taking it easy and the previous night’s altercation had taken a toll on her. So as to not disturb Yang, he quietly entered their home and journeyed up the stairs to peek in on her. Sprawled across the bed, the golden child must have been too exhausted to cover herself. He huffed gently through his nose and smiled at her before taking a moment to pull a blanket over her. In the mean time, he would wait around for a little while and tend to a few things around the house. Hopefully, she would wake before he had to leave. It wasn’t every day that he got to spend time with either of the two girls that kept him going. He shut the door behind him gently and turned around, fixating on the door before him.

Odd, it wasn’t like Ruby to leave her door shut… That’s right! His youngest niece had mentioned that a friend was staying with them and that she wanted him to meet her… but something was missing. A whine came from the other side of the door along with a light pawing. Ah! He knocked gently, but only a whine and the tapping of nails against the wooden floor answered. Opening the door, a small corgi trotted out with a friendly bark. Panting happily, the dog plopped down, cocked its head at him, and let it’s tongue hang out.

“Zwei, what’re you doing locking yourself in Ruby’s room?” He rubbed the dogs stomach and Zwei sat up, wiggling his butt. “You could get stuck in there forever!” The small dog spun around to chase his tail in circle, before happily returning to Ruby’s room, where he rolled around in a pile of clothing on the floor. Obviously, Ruby had been in rush to get out. As Zwei dug his snout into a pair of panties and looked out one hole, Qrow shook his head at the pup’s antics. If only humans could be this care-free. Qrow stepped into Ruby’s room, picking up the pile and placing it in a basket on the other side of the room. It seemed Ruby’s friend wasn’t here today. Well, maybe she went out for the time being. As he surveyed the room, a silver glint caught his eye and he approached it.

Propped against Ruby’s dresser was well-cared-for silver-infused rapier that struck him as odd to see in Ruby’s possession. Sharing his affinity for less practical weapons, Ruby would never have been caught dead with something as elegant as a rapier, but she had to study the basics to understand the mechanics of more complicated weaponry and it was very possible that this was a project she was putting together. After all, Ironwood probably gave her tasks to take care of at home – anything to keep her busy.

Examining the blade, Qrow picked it up and turned it as he inspected the work… the properties were way too precise… What was Ruby doing with an Elite’s weapon? Was it stolen? Jim would never have permitted her to work on an Elite’s blade, let alone take it off base. Then again, while unable to touch them, she was still free to look at them and observe Ironwood’s maintenance. Ruby was very intelligent and had a photographic memory, so maybe she was building a replica. It was strange though. On further inspection, this weapon bore a striking resemblance to a blade he knew by the name of Myrtenaster. In fact, if he didn’t know better, he would say that it was the very same blade… but Myrtenaster was buried with its owner… He would have to ask her about the inspiration for this blade later. Returning the blade to its previous spot, he exited the room, with Zwei trotting beside him.

It was few hours later that he heard his niece stumble her way down the stairs. Knowing full well she didn’t wake up very well, he chuckled to himself as she grumbled to herself about aches and pains. Curious of the clinking in the kitchen, she was drawn to the room and her grogginess quickly changed to excitement when she recognized her uncle. It had been quite some time since they had last seen each other and he was happy to give her something positive. With a click, he locked Yang’s Desert Eagle back into place and set it down, having now finished cleaning it.

“I thought I’d save you some time kiddo!” A smug smirk crept across his face. “How’s it goin’, firecracker?” Leaping across the room, the blonde latched on to him and buried her face in his chest.

“Uncle Qrow, I missed you so much!” With a warm smile, he patted her head.

“You too, kiddo’.” She pulled away and sniffed. “But I’m not back just yet - just check in on you… after last night.” Yang’s eyes shifted toward the ground and her posture sank.

“Ah, I guess you heard about that… Word gets around fast, yeah?”

“Yeah… How are you holding up?”

“Oh, you know. I’ll live. It was pretty nerve-racking though.” She took a seat and Qrow followed suit. “We got a bad tip-off and everything went wrong. Sadly, only my team made it out… The new girl is freaked out though and we all have duty again tonight.”

“If it’s any consolation, you’ll most likely just be doing something simple, like a Transit Watch or making rounds.

“Yeah…” Yang rested her chin on her hands and stared into space. “Uncle Qrow?” The man cocked his head and gave her a curious look. “Have your eyes ever played tricks on you during a mission?”

 “Aaaah, all the time!” He said reassuringly. “It comes with the job! Its gets hectic out there pretty quickly and you have to learn how to focus, but it comes with time. Sometimes, they make you see things too, so you have to make sure you’re really seeing what you saw.”

“That makes sense.”

“Is it anything in particular?”

“I thought I saw this girl die… but she didn’t. I mean, she saved us and a werebeast attacked her, but she’s totally fine… I was suspicious that she was a vampire and I jumped to that being the only way she could have survived being thrown into Bumblebee, but it seems I was wrong. She moved around in sunlight today. Maybe she’s just that much better than I am.” Qrow considered Yang’s plight carefully.

“That’s what happened to your bike?” Yang nodded. “Wow… that would take a considerable amount of force. I see why you thought that… Well… it doesn’t necessarily mean she’s better than you. This girl could honestly just be exceptionally gifted with Lightforge. I’ve heard tales about people being able to coat themselves with a barrier, like a protective skin that absorbs most of the damage, but that’s definitely something only an Elite would be able to do… They don’t usually go out of their way to help people though.”

“She said she’s a retired Elite, due to some sort of illness I’m not even going to try to pronounce right now. I’m kinda’ glad she was out and about last night though. Ruby had a run-in with a werebeast and she escorted her home last night.”

“Wait, Ruby was in danger?!” Panic filled her uncle’s voice.

“Yeah, she went out even though I told her not to.”

“Ugh, she conveniently left that out when I stopped by the school earlier.” He palmed his head and rubbed through his hairline. “At this rate, we’ll have to get a personal escort to keep an eye on her at all times...”

“Well, she was leaving Jaune’s house and I guess he was under the impression she made the bus or would have come back.”

“We all know Ruby is the type that you have to actually see her do something to know she’s not getting into mischief.” Well, at least Yang hadn’t mentioned the whole alley part of Ruby’s night.   
“Either way, I assume you gave her a stern talking to.”

“That’s what big sisters are for!” Having done her sisterly duty, Yang grinned proudly.

“I’ll talk to her myself when I finish up this job, but I expect you’ll have someone keep a closer eye on her when you’re not around.” Yang thought to herself for a moment.

“Yeah, that ex-Elite probably has to come back later,” Yang thought aloud. “I told her she was free to come back, she left some stuff here when she walked Ruby to the bus stop. I’ll talk to her about it when she gets back.”

“Hmmm, Ruby **let** her?” Qrow rubbed his chin and Yang nodded. “If her skills are as you say and isn’t trying to escape from her, then maybe we could work out something with her - at least, until we can find someone more permanent. I have to leave though, so I won’t be able to talk to her myself.”

“Already?” Qrow hated the sadness in his niece’s voice whenever he told her he was leaving and this was no different. Both girls idolized him beyond a shadow of a doubt and he could see her heart break.

“I’m in the middle of a mission, Yang.” He relented and exhaled loudly, frustrated with the situation. “They allowed me to come back to check on you while I was making a report. I have a rendezvous with another agent on another continent in the next couple hours.”

“Oh, I… see.” It wasn’t often that Uncle Qrow got to stay home and Yang missed him sorely every time. After all, he was the only adult left in their lives from the family. Soon, Yang would be another disappearing adult in Ruby’s life, leaving her alone to worry about Yang’s safety for undetermined amounts of time… and if Yang died, she would likely never know. Ruby was the type to cling on to empty hope just for the sake of something to live for and Yang supposed that was just another way of coping with reality. A large hand patted Yang’s head and snapped her out of her thoughts.

“I’ll be home soon!” The weathered man offered her a grin. “And then I can meet this former Elite who puts others before herself and Ruby seems to like!” Even when things seemed bleak, Qrow managed to put a grin on his nieces’ faces and this would be no different. It didn’t matter if he was hurting too. These girls were everything to him. Regardless of not being their true parent, they would always be known as “his girls” – “Qrow’s girls”. His face grew dark at the memory of their late parents, Summer and Taiyang, and he sincerely hope that the events of the past didn’t shape the girls’ lives. The girls had both been in such a state of shock that they could barely recall what they had witnessed and he supposed he should be thankful for that… but that reminded him. “Yang, Ruby needs someone with her at **all** times… It doesn’t matter who, as long as they are trustworthy. There’s been a sighting.”

“Of who?” The dark man considered to himself for a moment how much he should reveal. After all, it was highly classified information, but they were his nieces. “Uncle Qrow?... I understand if it’s classified, but if it’s about Ruby… I can keep a secret.” Internally, he waged war with himself on how to answer, but Qrow scratched his head and sighed. Against his better judgment, he would tell her about... them.

“You know about the Elders that make up The Council, right?” The blonde nodded affirmatively. “Alright, well, there have always been Elders, but there hasn’t always been The Council. After the The Council was created, others followed suit and created their own versions. Some Elders, however, didn’t like the idea of collaborating together and went Rogue. Lately, there have been instances of sirelings suddenly evolving to Elder strength levels. These vampires are unidentified or exemplify irregular behaviors and are therefore considered an Anomaly.”

“Okay, so one of these is near?” Qrow gave her a curt look.

“I was getting there.”

 “Whoops, heh heh,” she rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry.”

“Anyway, there are currently three Anomalies that have caught our attention; all consecutively appearing within a very short span of time. An Elder named ‘The Duchess’ has recently appeared. It seems even the Council doesn’t know what her powers are, nor does she seem to have started a coven of her own. While it’s possible she could be a new vampire, her ability to manipulate Dark Forge is on par with Ancient Elders. We suspect she may an Ancient from a different country, which explains why her Dark Forge Trait remains to be identified. She is fairly low key and her only defining characteristic seems to be red eyes that peer through a white mask that only covers her eyes and resembles a butterfly. Nothing else is known and that causes us worry. There are no clues as to who she was in life… Which brings us to the next Anomaly…

A vampire that appears to be working with the Hive Syndicate – most likely the Elder Vampire that reigns over Hive’s vampires. The problem with this theory is that Hive’s Anomaly would have to be on the same level as The Originator due to the sheer amount of abilities these sirelings exhibit. There are traits of nearly every coven present within Hive’s vampires. Once again, we know nothing about this Anomaly outside of their cloak – tattered, mostly featureless Dark Forge, save for piercing red eyes. Hive appears to be non-hostile toward humans though, as Ironwood reported an encounter with a human-friendly piress that he has now coined “Hive”. From Ironwood’s report, Hive favors using her cloak as a weapon and produces a blade that triggers spontaneous combustion on contact. Ironwood stated that she saved him from an attack and set him free before leaving. His report highlights a concern while she is very skilled in utilizing Darkforge, the state of her cloak suggests otherwise. Vampires with control over their power are able to keep a refined look about themselves, which suggests that Hive’s power is recent.”

“Okay, so The Duchess could be a future problem and Hive doesn’t seem to be problem, but we should still be weary?” Yang nodded to herself. “But what about the third one? Are all three of them women? And what does this have to do with Ruby?”

“I’m only telling you about the first two because you’ve been out on missions with potential to run into them… It’s the third one that I’m worried about and yes, they all seem to be women, which is worrisome itself – especially after the appearance of the Fire Empress. Since her appearance, the potentially troublesome ones have all been vampiress’. We aren’t sure if this is her doing… Well, we know for a fact that this third one is her doing, but we never expected her to be turned. The powers she now brandishes are darkened versions of the Lightforge she used in life. We know everything there is to know about this last one, so we’ve kept it out of the public eye as best as possible but… You…” The golden girl could see her uncle tensing up. “… you idolized her…”

**ooOOoo**

“-eeeeeeeeeeeeeiss.” Weiss Schnee was lost in her thoughts. Much like this, she had aimlessly wandered the streets, revisiting places from her past. It had been nice, but somehow, she found herself back where she started. The last three years had been such a blur to her. Most of her time had been spent getting acclimated to everything that was new about her - everything that had changed or still was. Inwardly, she wondered if Faunus, werebeasts, and vampires alike experienced senses heightened to these levels. Normally, everyday sounds didn’t bug Weiss, but today, one particular thing was all she could focus on - the faint grinding of wheels as a boy trucked by on a skateboard. Why anyone would subject the world to those horrible hard plastic wheels, she would never know. Hoverboards were a more desirable item, but she supposed that money was an underlying factor. Even so, gel wheels were still affordable and far more acceptable. So why, for the love of God, was he using hard plastic?! Was he some sort of cheapskate?! The grinding… the horrible grinding… It was driving her mad.

Her eyes zoned in on the wheels that presently assaulted her ear drums and a light blue glow gleamed across her eyes. Small traces of light, barely noticeable really, flashed under his wheels and suddenly he went crashing to the ground. A couple people ran to him to make sure he was okay, but for the most part he was baffled as to how he fell and she sighed to herself, elated that her ears were now relieved of that sound. She turned around and stopped herself short of slamming into the owner of a pair of metallic eyes scrunched in disapproval. She stepped back and took notice of the puffed cheeks and hands bent to fit on their waist.

“That wasn’t very nice!” Of course, Ruby had caught that. Why not? She wouldn’t be working in the Weapon Tech Center with Ironwood if she didn’t have an eye for detail. Weiss’ eyes darted to the side nervously.

“Uuu… uhh, I have no idea what you’re talking about! Whoa!” Ruby grabbed Weiss’ arm and pulled her to the side.

“I thought you said you’re not like the other Elites!” The red-head was clearly disappointed in her actions.

“I’m not!”

“Then prove it! Apologize!” Weiss looked at her sharply.

“For what?!”

“You tripped him with your power!” Weiss opened her mouth to defend herself, but Ruby didn’t give her time. “Don’t even try to lie! I saw!” Under her disapproving eyes, Weiss felt herself shrink with shame. It was almost like she had offended a mythical creature and it was up to her to right her wrongs. She sighed and stepped past Ruby.

“Fine…” She’d do it… It didn’t mean she had to like it, but she’d do it anyway. Ruby squeaked out a little ‘yay’ and trotted happily behind her. Looking to her side and rubbing the back of her head, Weiss approached him and held out her other hand. “Sorry about that. I guess I’m having trouble with my Lightforge late-“ Weiss’ eyes shifted to meet his as he grabbed her hand. She pulled him up and that was when she froze. “-ly…” Why was **he** here, of all people?

“No problem,” he grinned smugly. _Shit!_ Weiss watched his eyes travel over to Ruby and he held out a hand to shake Ruby’s.

“My name’s Mercury!” He took her hand and kissed it gently, flustering the girl. “And yours, Miss?”

“R-Ruby,” she flushed completely red. It wasn’t every day that a boy treated her this way. Reading the vibe, Weiss felt herself disappear. First, she had to apologize to this guy when he didn’t even know she had done anything. Secondly, he was the last person Ruby needed to meet. Third, why the hell was he kissing her hand?! The audacity!

“Rubyyy?” He held out the last letter in hopes of getting her last name and Ruby brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face. It was so rare to meet such an impressionable guy that exuded confidence and politeness… Not that she was interested… She just felt so **swallowed** by his eyes, like she was the only one there.

“Oh, um, Ruby R-“

“I hardly think it’s appropriate to ask for a name without at least a proper introduction,” Weiss stopped her before any damage could be done. She needed to get Ruby to safety.

“And your name?” He sneered at the black and white-clad interruption.

“Doesn’t matter,” she grabbed Ruby by the arm and stormed away in the opposite direction of Ruby’s home. “We’re leaving!”

“Weiss!” At first, Ruby was tugged along forcefully. “Hey!” Weiss seemed to ignore her, but then she noticed her nervously peeking behind them. “Weiss! Seriously! You’re hurting me!”

“Shut up!” Weiss hissed, stunning Ruby. Tears crept at the corners of her eyes. What happened? Is this what Elites were like? Ruby started to pull back and Weiss turned around to get better control, but instead her eyes went wide and she pulled Ruby along once again, this time in a run. Ruby heard footsteps quicken behind them and her heart began to race. They turned around the corner, heading into a series of debris-filled alleyways covered with black birds that sifted through the garbage.

Suddenly, Ruby found herself pulled in front of Weiss. The Huntress nimbly swept Ruby off her feet and leapt high against the wall. A glyph similar to the one beneath Mercury’s board flashed briefly and Weiss kicked off of it, repeating the process on the adjacent wall and climbed to a height above the tall buildings. Moments later, Ruby found herself gliding through the air. Preparing for the oncoming rapid descent, Ruby closed her eyes and clung onto Weiss for dear life… but the drop never came. Instead, she felt her feet touch the ground and an arm held her closely to Weiss’ chest… While still jittery, the security she associated with Weiss returned and she peeked her eyes open to see Weiss looking below them. Ruby began to follow her eyes, but Weiss must have noticed. A hand gently lifted Ruby’s chin so that she was focused on those baby-blues.

“Just focus on me, right now.” Her voice held authority, but this time around, it was gentle and reassuring. As she stared into Weiss’ eyes, she noticed a group of the same birds from below bouncing around the rooftops. She tilted her head to get a better look at the flock and noticed a single bird that had strayed from the rest of its red-eyed flock to pay special attention to her. It studied her for a moment until a loud sound startled it and it became more interested in the noise below.

“Dammit!” Below them, Mercury stormed around and kicked at a wall, alerting all the birds to his presence. They all stopped moving and studied the angered boy adamantly, waiting to see if he would turn his aggressive behavior on them. He let his fury subside before fishing a phone from his pocket and dragged his thumb over the screen until he reached the contact he needed. “Yeah, Black reporting. I ran into the damn Circadian… No… no… I almost had her, but they recognized me… Yeah… an Elite bodyguard – pretty odd thing to be around the Rose kid. Schnee must’ve gotten a tipoff… Yeah, will do…”

Somewhere around then, Ruby stopped listening and focused on Weiss again… She didn’t like the face that greeted her. Instead of the comfort she sought, there was only a piercing hatred to accompany Weiss’ murderous eyes. She could almost see Mercury’s death playing out in Weiss’ eyes and it frightened her… Was this also who an Elite was? That stare… it made her throat dry and she felt herself choke on her words. Tears stung her eyes and she licked her lips.

“W- Weiss?” And like that, the curse was broken. Concerned eyes met hers and warm arms wrapped around her, bringing her in close. Relief spread across her and her nerves began to calm, but that didn’t stop the tears from still coming.

“Shhh, it’s alright,” Weiss whispered into her ear, nuzzling her and petting through her hair. “I won’t let anyone take you away. You’re safe as long as I’m here.” Ruby hiccupped into her chest and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m sorry if I scared you… I didn’t have time to explain…” Weiss expressed genuine sorrow at her actions and Ruby believed her, but simply didn’t have the energy to talk, so she nodded into Weiss’ chest.

Below them, Mercury pocketed his phone and kicked at a trash can next to him. The sudden noise frightened the scavenger birds that had been picking at the garbage and suddenly the lone bird cawed loudly. It kicked off the building and took flight, immediately diving at the raging teenager. In a flurry of feathers, birds flocked together from all sides and swarmed him. Swatting aimlessly, he yelled profanities at the birds and fled with the avian menace hot on his tail. Well, he did deserve it.

“Oh!” Weiss lifted Ruby chin so their eyes met and wiped away her tears with a comforting smile. “I said I’d show you Myrtenaster today! Do you want to go home and do that?” After all this, Weiss still remembered that? Ruby let out a laugh at Weiss’ attempt to cheer her up.

“Yes, yes, I would love to!” It was then that Ruby became painfully aware of something reflected in the windows of the building across from them. She looked down at her feet to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. “Um… are we floating?” Weiss’ eyes went wide and she laughed.

“No.” She shifted Ruby’s weight to one arm and waved her other arm in the direction of where Ruby’s home should be. Several platforms of light appeared and a more tangible one glowed brightly beneath them. “Stealth mode.” Reacting to the shine of the platforms, the flock changed their target from Mercury and rushed at the two girls. “Whoops!” Weiss grinned widely and scoop Ruby up bridal style and leapt to the next platform that glowed in reaction to Weiss’ touch. The swarm blasted past them and Weiss almost lost balance. “Let’s get out of here!”

**ooOOoo**

Stretching, Yang stepped out of the house and grimaced at the sight of Bumblebee. Well, it couldn’t hurt to get started on removing the damaged parts. Before he left, Uncle Qrow gave her some money to buy the repair parts once she had assessed the damage. She began her venture toward the black-and-yellow wreckage, when an intense light formed in the middle of the yard. The light died down into groups of intensely glowing shapes that formed what looked like a circle with a snowflake centered inside of it. Trying to figure out what it was, she squinted harder and inched closer, but then a blur of white and red came crashing down into it.

“That was…”

“Oh my God! Ruby!” Yang yelled in shock.

“AWESOME!” In her excitement, Ruby rolled in Weiss’ arms to give her a hug, knocking her off-balance and taking her down with her. “Wasn’t that awesome, Yang! Weiss is so awesome!!! She can use **glyphs**!!!”

“It’s… it’s not that awesome,” Weiss said bashfully. She could feel the heat rising through her cheeks.

 “Glyphs?... That actually explains a lot…” Yang muttered to herself, glancing at Bumblebee… “Like… everything…” With glyphs, a person could easily survive a crash like that and walk away unscathed… but wait… glyphs were symbolic of -

“It **totally** is!” Ruby rubbed her head into Weiss’ chest. “You’re like so awesome!”

“Heyheyheyheyhey! Whoa!” Oh, **hell** no! Yang grabbed Ruby by her collar. No way in hell Snow Angel here was just gonna’ waltz in here and sweep Ruby off her feet with some fancy Elite stuff. “I’m sure Weiss likes her space.”

“Actually, Ruby was fi - um…“ Weiss stopped in the middle of dusting herself off. An ominous force shrouded Yang’s aura and she could almost see the flames and hair dancing around Yang’s head as she cracked her knuckles.

“What was that, Ice Fire?” _Oh my…_

“On second thought, arm’s length is just fine!”

Damn right it was! No one was allowed to be closer to Ruby than Yang! She wasn’t ready for her baby sis to grow up yet!

 


	6. Transit

 

“Alright, I’m going to be blunt. Are you a Schnee?” Well, that was one way to ruin the wonderful tea that Ruby had just brewed. The aroma had been so wonderful –an inviting blend of cinnamon and ginger - and after dealing with Mercury, the steam offered a much welcomed soothing effect. Of course, Yang would be the one to ruin this for her. Weiss could tell that Yang’s suspicions would be the death of her – not that her reasons were unfounded. The girl in white let out a loud exhale and set her tea down, waiting rather than letting its flavors be soured by the mood.

“I received my training from the Schnee, so yes.” The blonde slammed a hand down.

“You know what I mean! Are you from the main branch family?” … **Really** sour tea… Unfortunately, this oaf actually did pay attention to her surroundings when it came to who was near Ruby – shame her attentiveness didn’t reflect the previous night. “You used glyphs earlier, so don’t even try to lie about that.” Weiss stared at her flatly before deciding to indulge in her tea.

“That’s all? That’s why you think I’m a Schnee?” Now knowing it was something so simple, Weiss reclined into the wooden chair.

“The actual Schnee-by-blood are the only ones capable of using glyphs. If you’re some random bastardized child of Jacques’, I’d prefer to know.” Bastardized child, eh? That was a new one. Just what had he been doing while she was away?

“I can see your concern, but no. I am not a child of Jacques Schnee.” Sharing any form of relation to that man was a sore subject that she wasn’t keen to discussing, so for now, she would leave it at that. “As for glyphs, it is possible for highly skilled Elites to do as I did. While glyph usage is naturally ingrained into a Schnee’s very being from birth, Elites with superior skills are capable of creating platforms in the very least.”

Washing dishes at the sink, Ruby froze at Weiss’ words. Glyphs? Like the ones under Mercury’s board? It was at this time that something about Weiss became glaringly obvious - something that had nagged in the back of Ruby’s head. There was a recognizable pattern in Weiss’ answers; one she hadn’t picked up before and it was very likely that neither had Yang. Weiss skillfully dodged Yang’s questions by supplying information disguised as an answer, but it was never the answer to the question being asked. Sleight of tongue, maybe?

Had it not been for Weiss’ previous use of Lightforge, Ruby would have wondered about her dismissal towards Yang’s questions in regard to her impact with Bumblebee. After all, well-trained Lightforge users could utilize it for damage absorption. Other than that, Ruby had also wondered if Weiss realized she could see the glyphs she had cast under Mercury’s board… but then that meant that somehow Weiss was indeed a Schnee. In that case, why did it matter if she was a Schnee or not? Was Weiss in hiding?

“Would it be a bad thing if she was, Yang?”

 “It would be a horrible thing,” Weiss answered for the blonde, who gave her a confused look. The snowy girl sipped her tea once more before continuing. “This is delightful, Ruby.” She flashed a gentle smile toward her and Ruby felt her knees weaken. “Both of the Schnee daughters are dead and that would mean I’m not human…” She chuckled to herself. “Then again, even attempting to call on Lightforge would kill me, would it not?” Yang let out a sigh and sank into her chair.

“Sorry,” she pressed a palm to her forehead. “I guess I’m still wound up from last night and I have to go back in today… I just got my orders for tonight and tomorrow.” Weiss cocked her head in interest.

“Where at?”

“Tonight is light Transit duty, which is totally cool, unless it goes out of city limits! Tomorrow though… Junior’s not gonna’ be happy to see me hanging around again.” Exhaling loudly, Yang slammed her head into the table. How… uncouth… “Anyway, so you guys gonna’ tell me what all that was about earlier?”

“Oh my God! Yang, this guy was totally hitting on me and it was awkward and then he tried to hurt me, but Weiss stepped in and went all Super Hero Mode and we escaped and then he was hunting us and he said something about a Circle Haven or something and Weiss made platforms in the air and that’s how we got here!” This left her flabbergasted older sister attempting to process all of that.

“Ruby was being pursued by a Werebeast that serves The Fire Empress, named Mercury Black. If I hadn’t been there, he would have made off with her and it’s thanks to my platforms that we were able to escape,” Weiss said in annoyance and Yang rolled her eyes in rebuttal.

“So what’s a Circle Haven, then?”

“I have no idea what that is.” If that was how Ruby had misheard Mercury, then Weiss would just go with that. No need to bring up unnecessary things.

“You sure?” Yang asked skeptically. “You seem to know a lot of things.”

“Circle Haven is not a term I have ever heard, so no. I don’t know what that is. Maybe you could ask someone who knows more about Ruby?” Weiss offered. She seriously doubted anyone would know anything about such a term.

“Aaaaalright, well,” Yang rubbed her chin. “I gotta’ get outta’ here and get to my shift. This is gonna’ be a drag. Can you handle things today, Rubes? No going out when it’s dark.”

“I got it, Yang. I’ll stay in.”

“You sure? Cuz that’s what you said yesterday.”

“Yes! I’m not going through that again!” Ruby exclaimed. “Besides, Weiss said she was going to show me her sword!” The crimsonette spun around in excitement. “This is gonna’ be **awesome**!”

“Uh huh…” The busty blonde stood at a loss for words as Ruby rambled about how amazing the sword was before turning her attention to Weiss. “Hey, would you keep an eye on her for me?”

“I intended to,” the ivory girl stated matter-of-factly. “She seems like she needs someone to keep her out of trouble.”

“I can’t argue with you there. Rubes is a handful, but she’s my baby sis.” Weiss’ eyes softened.

“I can understand that. In this respect, I suppose my sister was the same as you.”

“Yeah…” Yang flashed a look of sorrow at Weiss, knowing that something terrible had happened. “Well, I don’t have time to fully explain right now, but I need you to keep a close eye on her. Apparently, a vampire has been keeping tabs on her and they think it’s responsible for some of the recent major attacks. Uncle Qrow and I thought it might be a good idea if you kept an eye on Rubes while I’m away… Do you think you could… y’know…” Yang scratched the back of her head nervously. Wow, she never really realized how much she did that.

“Qrow knows about me?!”

“Well, yeah. He lives here too. He’s just always away. Uncle Qrow stopped by earlier to check on me. I told him you saved Rubes and we were letting you stay with us.”

“Xiao Long, are you asking me to stay here as a bodyguard?”

“Weeeeeell… That’s one way you could put it,” Yang said slyly and averted her eyes. “But Rubes seems to really like you and I think she’ll listen to you. I haven’t seen her this excited about anything in a very long time… Not since… well… That’s a story for another time. My point is that since you’re no longer active, maybe you’d like something to do with Rubes? I’m sure you know at least a little bit about our past.” That was true, so Weiss nodded. There were very few that didn’t know about the passing of Beacon’s Rose and The Burning Priest; however, very few knew the entire story. “Well, in the very least, think it over.” Hoisting her duffel over her shoulder, Yang headed toward the door with Weiss following suit. “You don’t have to give me an answer now. Just maybe watch her for a day or two and decide. It would really help me out. Uncle Qrow says he can get someone else, but it will take a little bit and Ruby might not be comfortable with them.” And with that, Yang was gone.

“Weiss???” Silver eyes peered from the kitchen. “What was that about?”

“Oh, that?” Weiss pondered as she waited for Ruby to reach her. “… R-Ruby, what would you think of having a bodyguard outside of school?” The pale girl’s complexion rose to extraordinarily red heights.

“You mean someone to keep tabs on me and report to my sister?” Disgust clearly splayed across her face. “No way, Jose!” She shook her head vigorously. “Why?...” There was an awkward moment of silence and Weiss stared at her flatly until the younger girl’s eyes widened with realization. “Oh…” Weiss averted her eyes and pocketed her hands. Well, at least now she knew it wasn’t a good idea. She opened her mouth to respond, but Ruby seemed to have the same idea.

“Nevermi-“

“Totally!” Staring earnestly into Weiss’ eyes, Ruby dug Weiss’ hands out and clasped them between her own. “If it’s you, then yes!” Weiss stared at their hands and then returned to her eyes with a questioning gaze. “I didn’t realize you meant you.”

“Who else would I suggest?” Weiss cocked an eyebrow coolly. “Your other options are idiots.”

**ooOOoo**

“Erraa-AAUUHHH!” The blonde arched her back as she stretched. It was a rather dead night with nothing exciting going on, and just as she had predicted, they placed her on a transit watch. She casually waltzed toward the front of the bus where a bright purple glow radiated, coating the vehicle in its protective UV glow. Stopping beside the driver, she peered through the front window and verified that the road was clear. With nothing going on, she glanced to back of the bus where her assigned partner for the night stood.

Bearing the weight of a greatsword on his back, Yatsuhashi was a hulking man of Asian descent that bore a shotgun strapped around his shoulder. In school, he was often found with Coco and Velvet, so Yang wasn’t unfamiliar with him, but his partner had been hospitalized so Yang was filling in tonight. While focused on his own thoughts, he acknowledged Yang with a smile and gave her a thumb up. The two exchanged grins until Yatsuhashi’s faded and his eyes grew concerned with something just past her. As the bus slowed to a stop, he stood hesitantly and moved toward Yang. _Oh, what now…_

Just beyond the front of the bus, a huge dark mass of fur lay limp in the road, unsettling several anxious passengers who murmured their concerns to each other. After all, a dark stretch of road was the last place anyone wanted to be held up. Why exactly this was a route travelled at night, Yang would never know, but she did as she was told - nothing more.

She exchanged a look with the timid driver and nodded to him to pull the lever. Yang stepped down and leaned out of the bus to give the area a quick scope. Save for the chirps of crickets and the rustling of wind, it was quiet, despite the anxiety that weighed heavily in the night air. Gulping, she steeled herself and ventured out into the darkness, with Yatsuhashi following close behind.

“Stay with the bus,” Yang ordered. “I’ll check what’s up ahead; just watch my back.” With a firm nod, he shouldered his rifle and kept his eyes peeled for any sudden movement. Anxiety screamed that something was wrong, but Yang pushed the voice in her head aside and cautiously approached the heap on the road. As she approached the body, she drew her gun and her heart faltered – a Grimm. One of the many agents of Darkforge; also known as a familiar summoned by Noble level vampires…

This particular one was a Beowolf, which meant that a pack had been hunting human prey for their parasitic masters… and that also meant that others had to be nearby, so it was best that they remove it and be on their way. With the toes of her boot, she nudged the beast to confirm whether or not it was living. Aside from a limb falling limp from her prodding, the beast remained lifeless. After another moment, Yang turned to signal for Yatsuhashi to assist her with relocating the corpse.

“Yang!” The look of terror on her partner’s face told her that fate had drawn her a short straw. A low growl came from behind, alerting her to the beast’s ruse. A quick pivot of her foot, and she put a swift bullet between its eyes as it lunged forth. Painting the ground with streaks of red, the man-sized beast skidded across the ground in a definite lifeless heap. Having avoided her second near-death experience in the last 24 hours, Yang let out a sigh of relief, only to be answered by an array of gleaming red eyes and dark silhouettes that outlined the road. Vibrations rumbled through the ground, causing little bits of asphalt to dance at her feet and a large Alpha that doubled its lifeless comrade in size lunged into view as she narrowly dodged out of its range.

Taking aim at the Alpha, Yatsuhashi lined up his shot, but a loud, screeching noise, followed by the heavy telltale thud of bowing metal came from the roof of the bus. He looked away from his sights to find a normal Beowolf dragging its agonizingly sharp nails along that tin can of a roof that separated the creature from its prey. Saliva dripped down its gleaming, white grin as it loomed over him, poising itself for attack.

“Oh, fu-“ A claw slammed into him, knocking  him into the deep darkness and Yatsuhashi disappeared from Yang’s sights, along with her hopes of survival. The beast dug its other claw into the hood of the bus and swung itself to the side, roaring at the screaming passengers as it clawed at the metal flesh that contained the tasty morsels inside. With her priority on subduing the Alpha, Yang found it hard to concentrate between the beast and the screams of the passengers that shifted from side to side as other members of the pack joined the assault on the bus. She mentally kicked herself. This had been a coordinated attack and an obvious trap. Better leaders would have told the driver to turn around… Better leaders like Winter… Why hadn’t she?!

The blonde rolled out of the way as the Alpha swung a massive arm at her and she fired meaningless shots at it. The bullets simply bounced off its fur like nothing more than pennies. She had played rounds of Bloody Knuckles with quarters that did more damage than this ammo… Ammo! Shit! She was still using silver! These needed Lightforge bullets! The initial briefing had them prepared for recent sightings of non-sanctioned were-beasts. Unfortunately, these were Grimm – an entirely different brand of beast – and where there were Grimm, there was always an Elder nearby… and judging from the sheer number, it had to be more than one – a combined effort, if not a single ancient member of The Council that had consumed many lives.

Releasing the clip from her weapon, Yang scrambled to fish out a Lightforge clip. Just as she slammed it in, the beast knocked her to the ground and pinned her legs. She thrust her weapon forward and fired, but the beast moved its head, having anticipated her next move. Without looking, it pinned her arm to the ground and turned to her with its wicked grin. It bellowed into her face with a hot and heavy roar as it rose to its haunches and reared a monstrous claw behind its head in preparation for its next strike. In the next moment, Yang tensed and shut her eyes only for its powerful roar to end in a yip, followed by a sickeningly wet splat that sloshed across the asphalt and spattered onto her cheek.

Realizing that she was still alive, Yang peeked cautiously from her right eye, then looked at the bloody cavity that hollowed out the beast’s cranium and left its tongue hanging limply. The creature fell across her in a crumpled heap and Yang struggled with lifting its weight. Her eyes darted around in search for whoever had arrived just in time, and if not for the glint of light that gave away their position, Yang would never have found the sniper sitting across the field.

“Thaaaaaanks!” Three more bullets whizzed past Yang and felled a few of the beasts raiding the bus and they crumbled away into dust. At her feet, the Alpha that had attacked her also joined them in their reduction to dust… That’s right. The more powerful ones took a little longer to fade. At least, there was very little clean up when it came to the bodies of these creatures, unlike were-beasts… She should have realized that the Beowolf was alive from the start. An airy hum approached Yang from behind and she turned around to find what it was.

“Outta’ the way, bimbo!” With breakneck speed, a hoverboard blasted past Yang, blowing her hair into her face.

“That was uncalled for!” The hooded rider jumped into the air, guns blazing as they somersaulted, and planted the board into another Alpha’s face. Pinning its lifeless body into the bus, she rooted herself in a balanced position and continued her onslaught of bullets. Firing at one of the beasts, Yang called to her. “Seriously, save some for me!” A group of the smaller bone-plated wolves stalked around her and she grinned. Challenge accepted!

One lunged at her and she put her boxing to the test as she intercepted its arm. Another wolf decided to take advantage of her situation and try its claw at besting her, but she swiveled the former around to absorb the blow. Four claws pierced through her shield’s chest and she backed away enough to avoid her face being skewered. Mentally, she sighed in relief before driving her gun into its chest and taking out both wolves with a single shot.

The other pack members circled around her, closing in as they calculated their attacks. With three left to deal with, two flanked her and the last sprang forward. This would be easy. Rolling backward, she fired at the one in the center and let the two remaining beasts collide with one another.

“Well, that was stunning!” She chirped proudly as she put the poor bastards out of their misery. Not a bad job if she said so herself. Unbeknownst to herself, a lone wolf had waited out the attack from the safety of a tree, waiting for her to drop her guard. A low growl alerted her to its presence and she spun around, just in time to see it blasted away.

“What’d I miss?” Yatsuhashi lowered his shotgun and supported his other arm with his hand.

“These two…” She motioned toward the hoverboarder and the distant sniper.

“Ah.” He nodded in understanding. “Well, not be outdone or anything, I guess it’s time to be serious.” He shouldered his weapon and switched out for his greatsword. The spandex of his uniform began to squelch and gurgle as it stretched with his muscles and fur burst from his skin. The tall boy charged toward a pack of the beasts and leapt into the air, landing with a force greater than his weight would traditionally allow. In place of the young man was a massive bear that bore human-like qualities.

Wielding his greatsword, the were-beast swept the blade around itself and cleaved a large group of the wolves in half. A single foolhardy wolf tried to climb up his sword arm, but the bear simply picked it off, and with a roar to its face, slammed it into the ground and chopped its spasming corpse in half. Yep, Yatsuhashi was a were-bear… and a particularly merciless one at that. Good thing he sided with his human friends. Clearly surprised by his transformation, the boarder ceased fire for a moment in awe of his destructive power. _Heh heh, bet they bearly saw that one coming._

RAAAAWR!... Something hard slammed into Yang and she rolled over in an attempt to regain her bearings. Large claws planted into the ground around her head, raking across the asphalt and dragging her closer toward a hulking bone plated mass… Speaking of bears… Yang fired her weapon at it but they bounced off the plating… Damn, as thick as the plating was, this one had to be an old familiar. She hissed in pain as the claws began to dig into her shoulders. She needed to penetrate that plating somehow. Maybe she could buy herself some time. Aiming at one of its eyes, Yang fired and the beast roared in pain as it stood on its haunches. With its one good eye, it glared at her and raised its claw. As it struck, something black wrapped around it and pulled it to a halt.

The cord forced it to turn around and it swatted at the empty air. Perched on the Ursa’s shoulder, a humanoid shadow jumped down and the beast took initiative to swing at the third addition to the strangers. On contact, the shadow dispersed into thin air and the Ursa stumbled with the loss of balance from throwing its weight around. Sometimes appearing in multiples and always vanishing on contact, the shadow continued to dance around the beast, eventually causing the Ursa to disorient itself.

With the Ursa’s back turned to Yang, the cord wrapped tightly around the Ursa’s neck in a strangling manner. In front of the Ursa, she could make out the slender figure of a tall female with dark mane of hair that made Yang jealous. The newcomer yanked hard on the cord and an audible snap was heard. It was unsettling how the light left its eyes, but the creature crashed into the ground in a lifeless heap. With a flick of her wrist, the figure recoiled the whip with a loud crack and turned around, elegantly approaching the blonde.

“Watch your back, blondie,” a heavily flirtatious voice came. A pair of playful eyes trained their golden glow on Yang and their owner winked as her heels clacked past Yang’s head. Shifting her head as the beauty passed, Yang smirked as she stole a glance at her. _Legs for **days**? Don’t mind if I do!_ “If you’ve got time to check me out, you’ve got time to kill, blondie!” The dark-haired beauty quipped and winked. Still lying on her back, Yang clenched a hand to her chest and gasped loudly. Did she just…

“Ah! A woman after my own heart!” The blonde grinned. Clearly, Yang’s reputation as a Pun Master preceded her. This beauty knew who she was and Yang just **had** to know more. She was hooked… Plus, she couldn’t have her show her up! Yang prided herself in being one of the best trainees Beacon had to offer, though a little voice in the back of her head reminded her of the less than stellar job she was currently doing. Still… she had to wonder what team this was. She didn’t recognize them. Were they from Schnee itself? New Hunters? No, they were far too talented, unless they were Mercs-Turned-Hunter. It was settled. They were either Mercs or in a class she had yet to meet.

A low growl came from her side and she caught the little beady red eyes of a minor Beowolf. Well, no time to lie around! As they said, you snooze, you lose. The smaller wolf lunged at her, but Yang swiveled her legs in a windmill-like motion, planting a firm heel into its jaw and pushing the beast past her as she went from a handstand to a standing position in one fluid motion. The blonde stood proudly as the wolf plunged into a large boulder and fell limp - served it right.

In the closer proximity, Yatsuhashi continued to demolish Grimm after Grimm, making short work of anything that crossed his powerful swing. The hooded boarder had abandoned their board, leaving the Alpha it had impaled pinned to the bus. With the golden-eyed goddess and sniper relieving the rest of the monstrosities of their existences, the boarder weaved in and out of the crowd in a show of distracting agility. Mesmerized by their seamless work together, Yang couldn’t help but stare in awe at the sheer trust the newcomer placed in her allies. It was almost as if they had been in sync, communicating with each other on a level beyond that of basic human understanding… as if they were of the same mind.

A smaller Beowolf approached the goddess’ backside but there wasn’t enough time for the new girl to react, even if Yang did warn her. Thinking quickly, Yang aimed her gun and fired and the girl stopped herself mid-turn as the bullet whizzed past her. Comprehending the close call she had just had, she flashed Yang a look of gratitude and Yang grinned back with a wink.

“I usually charge for my services, but I think we can start with some small - saaaay, your name?” With everything having calmed down, now seemed like a good enough time.  An Alpha lying across him, Yatsuhashi remained on the ground to catch his breath, while the hooded boarder pushed it off of him. With a loud thump, it disintegrated and they laughed. The raveness smirked at the sight and returned her eyes to the radiant girl.

“Miss Xiao Long, I **suppose** you could call me Belladonna for now.” Now having a closer look, Belladonna wore a white v-neck style crop top that zipped up. The top had three-quarter sleeves, but black ribbons were tied around her arms like some sort of makeshift gauntlet. Tight black pants hugged against her legs and high-heeled boots strapped themselves against her calves. None of this was the peculiar part that had drawn her eyes earlier though. It was the belted half-skirt that caught her eye. It was black and the skirt came around her backside, but it was the purple stray piece of fabric that was fixed snuggly into the belt and lined the inside of the skirt. That pattern was so… familiar… Either way, she’d figure that out later.

“Well, I’ll give you that on the mysterious factor – plus, it’s kinda’ hot… But that’s not fair,” Yang winked. “You know my name!” This earned a good-hearted chuckle from Belladonna.

“I never said it wasn’t my name, blondie.” Hips swaying side-to-side, Yang’s eyes followed as Belladonna strutted up to her, stopping only when she was seductively close. “We’re just not on a first name basis… yet.” With her voice still heavy with its earlier seduction nature, it only bolstered Yang’s confidence. This was a game she was down for. Belladonna knew about her and yet she had never heard of her, but Yang at least had a key piece of information if she wanted to know more: a last name. This time, Yang didn’t mind being the underdog – not for a game where she would ultimately come out on top… heh heh…

“Who are they?” Yang motioned toward Belladonna’s partners.

“Ah, Zedong is up there providing support. She prefers to keep her distance from others. Not a particularly social person.” The aforementioned girl’s silhouette was seen hopping out from the tree. It seemed she may have elected to join them and Belladonna quirked an eyebrow. “Or she could make me into a liar.” A loud creaking was heard from the bus and they looked immediately toward the sound, aiming their weapons. The boarder was wriggling their board free from the Beowolf it had lodged itself into. Freeing it from the beast, Belladonna’s partner held the board possessively as the body fell and disintegrated. Alerting the boarder to her presence, Yang began to laugh uncontrollably. They became startled, rubbing the back of their head and attempted to hided themself behind the board.

“Um… wh-what’s so funny?” The boarder asked nervously, garnering an elated reaction from the blonde.

“Oh, please no,” Yatsuhashi’s voice came. “Don’t get her started!”

“Xiao Long, are you alright?” The raveness asked. The blonde wiped a tear from her eye and motioned toward where the Alpha had fallen.

“Heh heh heh. I guess you could say that Beowolf was… board to death.”

“NO! You’re talking privileges are revoked!” Yatsuhashi grabbed Yang by the collar and she only laughed harder. Belladonna and the boarder exchanged looks and smiled between each other. It **was** a little amusing.

“My… my name is Re-“

“Chloris,” Belladonna interrupted. “Don’t break protocol.”

“Ah, sorry!” The boarder removed their hood, revealing messily spiked bangs and green hair matched to her blue eyes... her?... Belladonna’s whole team consisted of women? “You can call me Chloris…”

“Chloris, eh?” Yang scratched at her head. Last names only? They had to be mercs. That was a bit disheartening. Regardless, she grinned at Belladonna. “Interesting partner you have.”

“Partner? Oh no, this is Zedong’s partner. Mine is a selfish pain in the ass that likes to make me worried sick by going MIA for the last two months!” Whoa. Yang was sensing some serious abandonment issues.

“Um, Belladonna…”

“What, Chloris!” Belladonna’s dark mane of hair puffed with her upset and Chloris hid behind her board again.

“You’re getting angry again… and it makes your ears more noticeable,” Chloris peeked out from behind her board and found Belladonna calming herself. Yang looked up to the top of her head and smiled. Ah! They were so cute! Belladonna had cat ears! She was a Faunus! That explained the yellow eyes. “I’m sure we’ll find her. We always do. She’ll pop up when she’s ready.” … Yep, all girls…

“Well, it’s been lovely seeing you, Xiao Long,” Belladonna spoke fondly. “But I’m afraid we’ll have to cut our visit short.” The raveness motioned toward the group of huddled commuters. “Your passengers are probably dying to get out of here.” Yang grinned at what was probably another intentional nod to her sense of humor.

“Belladonna, what’s taking Zedong so-“ **PTAAA!** The sound of sniper fire came from Zedong’s direction and interrupted Chloris.

“Yatsuhashi, you need to get the humans out of here,” Belladonna urged. “I thought it was unusual for so many Grimm to be here. Elders don’t normally work toge-“ Belladonna’s eyes went wide as something slammed into her. Yang’s eyes followed the girl as she bounced along the pavement. Belladonna scrambled upright, identifying the weight on her as her sniper. “Zedong! Zedong, wake up!” Zedong moaned in pain and Belladonna gritted her teeth and glared past Yang, eyes widening in horror. **SHAAAH!**

“Would you care to finish your statement? I imagine you have much to say,” red eyes pierced through the darkness and a figure in a haggard cloak stepped forward. The figure held a dark blade that emanated an ominous wave of energy. “My love.”


	7. Fueling the Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been gone for a bit! Work has been super busy! Hope everyone's Spring Break was awesome! Glad to see this is picking up a bit over here on AO3 too!

“Weeeeeisssssss!” Ruby popped her head over her new guardian’s shoulder. “Weeeeeissss,” she whined, eventually tumbling onto her bed. The red tips of her otherwise short, black hair swayed as her head hung off the bed and she huffed with her arms crossed. “You promised!” Weiss glanced down at the childish display beside her and began to roll up the morning’s newspaper she had been reading.

“I’m well aware of that, Ruby. Patience!” She bopped her lightly on the forehead and Ruby stuck her tongue out in return. “I **also** promised that I would find your friend, did I not?” The more petite girl mouthed a silent “Oh” and then grinned, launching herself upward at the ex-Elite. Tackling her to the bed, she gave her a crushing hug. “Ru- Ruby,” Weiss choked out. “Can’t… b-breath…” Ruby loosened her grip, but buried herself into Weiss. The snow-haired girl peered down at her charge and smiled at the sight before her. This girl was absolutely hopeless.

Earlier in the day, Weiss had been particularly busy and hadn’t gotten a chance to look over the newspaper. While she received a sort of peace from the mundane action, she was also looking for any news of strange deaths or attacks. There was a very particular individual she needed to locate other than Penny and she had a deep sinking feeling both disappearances were related, though she prayed it wasn’t. The reality was that if they were, it was far too late for both individuals to be saved.

With Ruby’s weight on her, Weiss sighed and turned her head to the side of the bed. Somehow, she had completely missed the night stand that sat next to the bed and had remained unaware of its existence. On top of it sat a lamp with a photograph of three adults – all resembling either Ruby or Yang in some fashion. On the left stood a tall, scraggly, well-built blonde man in a black tuxedo, while to the far right was a woman in a sleek, sexy black dress. This woman bore a wild mane of black hair and piercing red eyes. While her eyes were sharp, they were focused warmly on a brightly contrasting woman who appeared to be a carbon copy of the girl in Weiss’ arms. The woman in the center had dark hair, with bright silver eyes and a mischievous smile. The slender white gown she wore called her to the center of attention and the happiness of the photo appeared to stem from her.

“Those are our parents! This was their graduation dance! They were the center of attention the whole time! Mom was a really good dancer, so Uncle Qrow made me take lessons. He said it would help to get a head start, but it’s always been a waste of money,” Ruby said with a warm chuckle. She reached toward the photo and brought it closer to them and pointed to the center. “That’s my mom, if you couldn’t tell. Haha, everyone says I’m the spitting image.” She grinned and put the photo beside her head.

“There wasn’t a doubt in my mind,” Weiss poked at her forehead and Ruby winced with her tongue stuck out. “Can I see?” She asked the question as she slowly reached toward the frame and Ruby relinquished it with a nod. So this was the famous trio that had wreaked so much havoc on the Underworld? In particular, the woman in the center was the root of all that terror? It was hard to imagine someone who looked like Ruby matching that description, but she had met them near the end of their lives. While Weiss had acknowledged their strength, she never witnessed the displays of raw power that she had heard stories of. Her eyes trailed down as her thoughts sunk at the thought of Ruby’s future among that world. The thoughts were devastating, but not enough to block out the peculiar thing she noticed about the trio. She had to confirm.

“Ruby, who’s the woman on the right?”

“Oh, you mean Raven? That’s Yang’s mom!” She answered excitedly. “My mom, Summer, was the super awesome fun mom, but Raven was the super **cool** mom! Raven said Yang was such a handful and she was glad my mom was around to keep her spirits up! Raven did the same when I was born! Mom said they agreed to support each other from day one!” Wait… what?! Weiss’ face twisted in confusion and she could see the gears turning in Ruby’s head. Weiss felt her head spin and her eyes began to spiral.

“S- so, your moms were le-“

“Noooope!” Ruby’s grin grew wider.

“B- but, th- the look and and…” A giant blush covered Weiss’ face. She gave the photo one more good look-over. Summer was pressed to Taiyang’s chest and he was rubbing the back of his head nervously as he looked away in embarrassment. It didn’t take a genius to tell where his daughters got that habit from, but Raven had been the cause for curiosity. The warm look in her eyes was directed mostly at Summer and her hands sat on Summer’s hips. Over her forward-most hand, Summer laid one of her own and Taiyang’s free arm ventured across both woman. Oh god, it suddenly clicked. They were-

“Uncle Qrow says our parents were ‘free spirits’,” Ruby air-quoted the last two words. “He said dad was greedy and didn’t like to share, but I think that’s cuz Uncle Qrow was jealous,” Ruby laughed.  “There was a whole lot of love to give.” Ruby took the photo and rolled around to lean on Weiss and smiled at the photo. She tilted her head back and looked into Weiss’ eyes. “I’m not like that though. I only want one person.”

“Is that so?” Ruby nodded and absently placed the photo back where it belonged. “Have you met them yet?”

“I think so,” Ruby rolled over carefully and straddled Weiss’ sides, digging her palms into the pillow surrounding the older girl’s head.

“How can you be sure?” Weiss tried her best to put on a serious tone, but what came out was playful and flirtatious. “I expect you’ve known this person for quite some time.”

“Nope!” Ruby matched the older girl with her own vibrato. “I just met them recently!” She could feel Ruby’s breath and her lips were dangerously close – barely touching her own. This was a dangerous situation, but Weiss felt alive in this moment. The sound part of her mind screamed at her not to give in, but the curious part wanted the excitement.

“Well, it sounds like I’ll have to meet them.” Weiss lightly traced along her sides until her hands found her hips and rested her thumbs inside the lining of Ruby’s waistband. Her lips ghosted across Ruby’s with each word and Ruby leaned forward but Weiss shifted away, teasing her. “You know, make sure they meet my standards.” Ruby laughed, intoxicated with the moment.

“Oh, I think they do,” Ruby said lightheartedly and moved a hand to Weiss’ cheek to steady her head. “Stay still!” Giggling, Ruby pushed forward and her dutiful guardian obliged with a smirk. Enticingly soft lips traced over her bottom lip and just as Weiss leaned in to accept, a loud bark startled them. Followed by the energetic outburst of the family dog, he crashed into Ruby and she tumbled straight to the ground. “What the hell, Zwei! Ah!” On the way down, her forehead met with the corner of the night stand. Blushing partially from humiliation, the crimson-schemed teen held a palm just above her brow and glared at her canine assailant. Spread across a neutral ex-huntress, Zwei hung his head off the bed and panted loudly. “I hate you,” the dog began to rolled back and forth. “But you’re so damn cute. Ssssss!” The sharp pain returned and she placed more pressure on it.

“Here, let me see.” Weiss lifted her hand and leaned in close to inspect the injury. Intoxicated by the close proximity, Ruby hummed a dazed response. It was that deliciously, rousing fragrance iconic to the snowy huntress that Ruby had only been introduced to the previous night, but she had already decided it was one she didn’t want to disappear. “I’ll get you some ice before it starts to swell. How do you feel?”

“I’m fine…” Ruby hesitated, trying to salvage whatever dignity she had left. “Just… embarrassed…” Both girls blushed at the reference to the previous moment.

“Blame Zwei,” Weiss chuckled as she left the room. Ugh! That was so stupid! Embarrassment still raging through her, Ruby threw herself onto her bed and pouted. How could she let herself get caught up in the moment like that! Okay, she was just going to apologize and it would be over and maybe, just maybe, they could pretend it didn’t happen. “Hey, here.”  A hand gently pried hers away and a cold compress that Ruby held gratefully against her forehead took its place.

“Thanks, Weiss.”

“Yeah…” The huntress scratched at her cheek nervously and an awkward silence ensued… Oh god! This was the awkward part!!!

“I’m sorry!” Ruby squeaked out, mentally kicking herself at the clear desperation in her voice. That’s not how that was supposed to come out! Braving the possible outcomes, Ruby used her one good eye to find a concern-ridden Weiss looking back at her.

 “What for?” Weiss appeared to be genuinely confused. Was she not bothered by Ruby’s actions?

“Um…” As if it wasn’t already bad enough, her blush brightened and spread across her face, so she averted her eyes. Confusion still mounting, the ivory girl stared at her for another moment before it clicked, but Ruby had to be quick before she could say anything. “I- I was caught up in the moment and I misjudged that moment and I’m a super dummy, and oh God, I’ve really done it now. Ren and Yang are always telling me to think before I do things and now I’ve messed things up and it’s awkward and-“ That spinning feeling returned to Weiss’ head as Ruby hit her with a jumbled freight train of words. In the very least, she could rest easy knowing Ruby didn’t have a concussion. “I won’t do it again and I’m really sorry so-” That was enough. Weiss pressed a thumb against Ruby’s lips, effectively silencing her.

 “Don’t be,” she said affectionately. “Never apologize for the way you feel. It’s fine. **You’re** fine.” She emphasized the last part to show she wasn’t put off by Ruby.

“I- I- I,” Ruby started to hiccup. “I just don’t want you to hate me and-“

“Shhh!” Weiss hissed. “What’d I say?” Silence. “If I hated you, I would have stopped you and left.” Weiss looked away and mumbled the next part. “… I wasn’t going to…”

“Huh?” Did she just say what she thought she did? Ruby opened her mouth to ask, but Weiss stood up and walked over to the dresser.

“You wanted to know about Myrtenaster, right?” Quickly changing the subject, Weiss laid it next to Ruby and her excitement overturned the entire incident.

“Oh my god, yes!” Dropping the ice pack, Ruby jumped up and started to unsheathe it but stopped herself. Remembering to be considerate, she looked at Weiss, whose expression resembled concern about why she stopped. “Can I?” Weiss quirked her eyebrow. “It’s… polite,” Ruby blushed and Weiss laughed.

“Go ahead, and stop being weird! If you’ve been working with Ironwood, I know you’ll respect it!” Unable to contain herself any longer, Ruby looked the weapon up and down. It had a very sleek design, perfect for piercing. While she hadn’t had time to truly observe Weiss’ swordsmanship, she assumed that it would largely be based on precision-driven penetrative techniques, which was perfect for what Hunters fought. While humans were susceptible to nearly any form of damage, piercing was the key to defeating the creatures of the night. That was why auxiliary types were the preferred weapon of choice when it came to implanting the venom-like substances humans used in combat, so she wondered what Weiss was like in a true combat situation. It must be glorious.

“Uh, Weiss, how do you load this and where do the cartridges go? I don’t see a slot.” She scoured the weapon up and down, but the only maneuverable part of the weapon was the rotary handguard, which behaved like something between a revolver’s cylinder and a socket wrench. Four areas tapered inward, with a large clear oval and a darker more miniscule counterpart inset. “You might want to tighten this. It’s loose. I can do that for you, if you want.” Weiss chuckled to herself.

“Here,” she reclaimed her blade and Ruby pouted in return. “Oh, hush! My blade has a very rare system to it! One-of-a-kind, I believe. Believe it or not, I came up with this when I was still in school! Are you familiar with how Lightforge is loaded?”

“Um, people who produce Lightforge channel it into stuff, like cartridges?”

“Is that what they taught you?” Weiss appeared quite unhappy with that answer and Ruby lowered her eyes. A firm and gentle touch lifted Ruby by the chin to meet her eyes and Weiss let out an aggravated sigh. “Don’t do that. You aren’t dumb – you are just being taught incorrectly, on purpose… All of you are! There’s a lot going on around you, Ruby, and you should be weary at all times. The explanations given at Beacon are only half-truths. Jacques Schnee’s orders are to give just enough knowledge to keep the masses satisfied, but ignorant. I will teach you as much as I can, but you can not divulge where this information comes from, nor should you speak of it unless necessary. Can you promise me that?” Ruby nodded vigorously.

“Yes! If I can use this to make the world a better place, I’ll keep it a secret! It’s what mom would do.” Weiss frowned at the vigor in the redhead’s eyes.

“Ruby, I’m not doing this to help you help the world. I’m doing this to keep you safe. You are detrimental to this world’s survival. It hasn’t awakened in either of you, but both you and Xiao Long have something sleeping inside of you. Sharing your father’s blood guaranteed you that, but considering your mothers, it’s very likely the outcome of your Awakenings could be… drastic. That’s why I’m confused as to why they’ve kept you both in the dark and why they are leading your sister on.”

“Leading Yang on?... Awakenings?...” Panic spread through Ruby, surfacing in both her voice and her expressions.

“In due time, Ruby – this first.” Weiss twisted the handguard and it clinked into place. “As long as their endurance holds up, humans are gifted with nearly limitless access to Lightforge during daylight hours, and vice versa for Children of the Night. It should be noted that Forges are something of a cyclical nature. While it becomes severely limited and takes a huge reduction in strength during opposite time cycles, Forges are still usable and can even the odds considerably, so humanity came up with a way to harness and conserve Lightforge through the night hours. In good news, Darkforge is much too unstable to be contained. Outside of those that manufacture it, it destroys everything it touches, but burns away in the presence of the sun. Since proper containment technology does not exist on either side, humans don’t have to worry about vampires in daylight.”

“Weiss, you can’t just tell me something bad is going on that revolves around myself and Yang and move on! What’s going on?!” The ivory girl paused her lesson and considered the situation from Ruby’s viewpoint.

“Ruby, I understand you’re frustrated, and I will explain things. I may not be able to do it all one night, but it will benefit you far more to develop an understanding of how things work before you can even begin to grasp what’s going on. There are darker things than Forge out there and, trust me, I hope you never have to see them.” For the first time, Ruby picked up a sense of urgency and desperation in the normally stalwart huntress. “There is so much to tell you and so little time, but you have to understand how everything fits together – the workings of Forge, its history, the Schnee, The Council, that in the end we are all on the same side…” Weiss hesitated. “…Ozpin…” Ruby’s breath froze in her chest at the mention of that name and her eyes grew dark and steely. Memories of blood and her parents cries flooded her mind and tear left one of her eyes.

“… so Lightforge comes from the sun and can be stored. Darkforge comes from the moon and can’t be stored or used during the day…” Weiss cringed at the hollow voice that left the normally bubbly girl.

“… Direct sunlight, no, but there are always loop holes to be abused, like the abilities of werebeasts. Vampires also have unique traits that come from the Darkforge within them, but are invoked in the form of elemental properties. As for Lightforge, the rays of sunlight are absorbed by humans as they go about their day. They are further processed within the bodies of those who have an affinity for Lightforge and can be shared. This is why you will often find Lightforge workshops to be open-ceiling. As they absorb it, they infuse cartridges, ammo, and the likes with the excess processed energy. This process is called Drain.”

“Okay, I get it. They drain their own Lightforge to create reserves, but what does that have to do with Myrtenaster. Are you old school? Wow, that would be awesome! You just pour it on!” And like that, bubbly Ruby bounced back. Note to self: Come up with a list of cool weapon-related topics for when she’s sad.

“No, Ruby, I’m not old school. That’s where these come in,” Weiss fished out four brightly glowing oval-shaped gems from her pocket. She pressed firmly on the clear ovals with the handguard and they popped off. She slotted each of the gems into a divot and covered them with the shields. “They start off a bright white, but they change color based on how low the energy is, with red being low and a lack of luminescence meaning it’s out. I chose this method because it’s more tightly packed and allows me to use it more efficiently. I control the release rate myself, where other weapons have to be calibrated.”

“Are the gems expensive to buy? How about refilling?” Ruby genuinely wondered how Weiss would go about that. With her being retired, she wouldn’t have access to the compound’s armory to handle that.

“I wouldn’t know.” A puzzled look was Ruby’s silent reply. “The reason I was explaining Drain is because that’s how I do refills. I figured I’d take them with me when I went around town earlier. I’ve never had to **buy** anything like that before. As for the gems themselves, I installed them into Myrtenaster while I was still at Beacon and have been perfecting my control ever since. It was my own personal project and I asked Ironwood  to order them from the parts catalog.”

“So cool, Weiss!” The younger girl fangirled for a moment, before staring at her. “Can you… give me a demonstration?”

“Of?”

“I want to see the Lightforge blade!” Weiss sighed at Ruby’s inexhaustible excitement.

“Oh, alright. I suppose it’s fine since you haven’t seen one up close before,” Weiss lifted Myrtenastor so that it pointed straight up and closed her eyes in concentration. “Unlike cartridges though, this can only be activated and used by someone with an affinity for Lightforge. It’s useless otherwise…” Ruby looked at her with expectation. “Which means if I hand it to you, it will interrupt the flow since you can’t act as a conduit for Lightforge.” The red girl frowned.

“Drats!” Really? Was that even a word anyone said anymore? “Well, I’d still like to see how it works.” Weiss smiled and a light began to emit from the crevices where the blade was seated into the handle. The light gradually spilled out, covering the blade to the tip. Where Ruby had seen some weapons with a billowing cloud of light sloppily covering them, Weiss’ Lightforge hugged against the blade like a tight skin. This meant Weiss had excellent control over Lightforge wavelengths. No wonder she was an Elite.

“If you stare any harder, you’ll put holes in it,” Weiss broke Ruby out of her observations.

“It’s just so… perfect!” Ruby reached out to touch the blade. “No inconsistencies!”

“Ruby, don’t! You’ll mess up the wavelengths!” Too late. Her finger pressed against the shining blade and… nothing? What the…

“It feels so cool to the touch. I almost expected it to be warm,” Ruby pointed out and smiled at Weiss, who was doing double takes between Ruby and the blade. No… that was impossible. Curiosity getting the better of Weiss, she grabbed Ruby’s hand and wrapped it around the hilt. Ruby flashed her a nervous look and Weiss nodded before letting go. Myrtenaster shined more brightly and Ruby became startled by the now rippling haze of light.

“It’s alright! It’s not like explosives. It’s only dangerous to vampires.”

“But-“

“Relax!” Weiss placed her hands on Ruby’s shoulders and inhaled deeply and exhaled. She did this a couple more times and Ruby found herself mimicking her, without realizing it. As she breathed, the light regained some of its former stability. Though it still rippled in continuous small waves, it maintained its shape, with a larger ripple swimming by every few seconds. It reminded Ruby of static in a way, but what did this all mean? She looked to Weiss for an answer, and found her smiling. “Well, Ruby, it looks like you have an affinity for Lightforge! This is a lot more fluid than the first time I tried my hand at this, especially for a weapon that requires a lot of control.” This was impossible. Ruby shouldn’t be able to produce Lightforge. No one in the Xiao Long, Rose, or Branwen branches could… and for good reason! It seemed this was the year of Anomalies on all fronts.

“Really? That’s so cool! Not even Yang can do this kind of stuff! She uses cartridges!” Weiss frowned. Well, at least something stayed the same.

“Hate to break it to you, Ruby, but you have to be able to process your own Lightforge in the field to even be considered for the Elite test. Elites are deployed as self-sustaining units.”

“But… that’s Yang’s dream.” Weiss put out her hand and Ruby returned Myrtenaster. “What if she doesn’t know? That’s going to crush her! Can’t we do something?!”

“Sadly, no, Ruby. You’re either born with it or not. Unfortunately, Yang wasn’t.” Ruby’s eyes sank. “Oh, don’t be like that! It’s not like I said Yang can’t get anywhere with her career! Just… not where she wants to go.” She rubbed Ruby’s shoulder with her free hand. “Your sister has a very… bright… future ahead of her, but she has a lot of work to do to get there! You’ll see!”

**ooOOoo**

“That’s the same cloak as Hive!” Yang recognized the cloak’s appearance from Ironwood’s description.

“Xiao Long! Don’t talk to him!” Belladonna shouted. “He has nothing to do with Hive!”

“Last name, eh? So I see she’s not considered _Family_ then. Such a shame. You do little justice to the name of the Telltale Heart.” The cloaked figure stalked its way over to the blonde, grasping her face harshly and lifting her from the ground. He sheathed his blade and Yang felt her body paralyze itself with fear. “Are you afraid, Xiao Long? Of what I could do to you?... Of what you could become?” The man caressed Yang’s cheek with her thumb. “You could become so much more than you already are. Or should I say ‘You will’? It’s in your future.”

“What?” Now that he was closer, Yang took in as much detail as she could. With his stoic personality, intimidating crimson eyes with matching hair shined through the slits of an ornate mask, adding a sense of mystery and intensity to his aura. Other than his confident posture, he exhibited no particular emotion outside of a possible dark amusement with the situation. He tilted his head in observation, revealing two short horns hidden within his spiked mess of hair… A bull Faunus… and judging from his appearance, the **worst** Faunus for her to encounter. This was the White Fang’s leader.

While they weren’t directly linked to vampires, they had a reputation for aiding The Council, as well as rogue vampires. If it meant landing a devastating blow to humans and their allies, they were all about it. Great! This last 24 hours was just getting better by the minute! First, she had to deal with the explosions and were-beasts, then came Uncle Qrow’s revelation about Anamolies, and now her current predicament was the bus attack, followed up with the appearance of White Fang’s leader. And to top it all off, a his cloak made it apparent that Faunus were now **also** capable of becoming Anamolies... Fucking Freaks! Couldn’t they just cut her a damn break?!

“Don’t listen to him!” The dark-haired girl cried. With a twisted grin, the man opened his mouth for a snide retort but shut it in distaste as a wave of ice chased after her. “Yatsuhashi!” Summoning her strength, Belladonna hurled Zedong in the bear’s direction and rolled out of the way. Ice crystals protruded from the sheet of ice, penetrating the bus enough to cage Belladonna between the vehicle and the wall it afforded. She crawled to the icy bars and attempted to shake them loose, but a divine energy had enhanced its somatic properties. “ADAM!!!”

As if already knowing where to look, Adam eyes veered off into the distance and he fixed his masked gaze on a single entity that stood where Zedong had once been. A single shadowy silhouette illuminated only by moonlight loomed over the hillside. It maintained its position, overlooking the stretch of road and Adam spoke growled at her.

“Patience, Queenie. I’ll uphold my end of the bargain. Don’t you worry that pretty little head of yours, but I am still owed what was promised…” Somehow he was having a conversation with the shadowy figure… but how? Faunus couldn’t communicate with vampires in this way – only vampires of kin could. With a radiant scowl, he returned his attention to the golden would-be-huntress. The figure stayed for a moment longer, making its intentions clear before turning around and disappearing into the darkness, but its message was unmistakable. “It appears my mistress has plans other than death for all of you.” Seriously, when did it end?! Which Anomaly was Adam working for? Or was it a new one?

“Oh, my darling,” Adam spoke towards Blake. “It pains me to see you caged so, but alas, such is befitting of your betrayal. In older times, one might have been put to death for a treason such as yours… but since being tame is your preference; maybe some time to cool off and contemplate your actions is appropriate. I do hope you’ll follow the right path.” Was this bastard actually romanticizing holding a woman captive?

“Adam, working with vampires isn’t your style!” Belladonna growled angrily at him and he snickered  with a sickening delight. “Why stoop so low as to -”

“That’s rich coming from you, my darling!” He cut her off – his voice heavy with a false amusement. “There’s nothing I would **love** to do more than listen to your hypocritical prattle,” Adam paused to gather himself, trading away the insanity he had humored for a much more serious facade. Before he decided on his words, he glanced at the unconscious sniper held in Yatsuhashi’s arms. “You could simply say, I’ve taken a page from your book, so to speak… with the exception that my ally is quite **extraordinarily** gifted. Speaking of gifted persons, where is your partner? Gone AWOL again? At least with us, you were never left unattended…”

 “What the hell is this all about?!” Yang spat out and thrashed about. “If you’re not a vampire, what do you want?!”

 “Oh, I do wish you would settle down, Miss Xiao Long.” Everything about him turned dark. “You wouldn’t want me to assist you with that, would you?” Yang’s stiffened. She almost preferred the borderline insanity he had been spewing. This Adam was truly terrifying in presence alone. “Now, if you’ll be a good girl and answer a few questions, I am to convey a message – information, really – from an interested party… though it would be incorrect to say that a recent revelation has not also piqued my interests.”

“I asked you first!”

“Are you really in a position for a dispute?” Adam asked with mild amusement. Silence. “I didn’t think so. Now, what’s the daughter of The Burning Priest and the Telltale Heart doing out so late?” White teeth gleamed through his wicked grin. He couldn’t be that naïve. Yang’s uniform consisted of Patrol Standards. “Oh fine,” he huffed. “I’ll humor you. We’ll trade questions. You first.” He looked at the blonde expectantly… Was he bipolar or something?

“I’m obviously a Huntress on Protection Detail for Transit…”

“A Huntress? Strange. Why a Huntress?” The White Fang leader cocked an eyebrow.

“I thought we were trading questions.”

“Fair enough,” he obliged. “Strength.”

“Excuse me?”

“Have you ever wondered why vampires feed on humans?”

“It’s still my turn. You haven’t answered.” Yang pointed out harshly.

“ **What do you think I’m doing?!...** ” He let the outburst sink in for a moment to be sure he would remain uninterrupted… How nice of him… “Blood is the currency of life. It holds DNA, properties unique to an existence, memory… So much of yourselves are at stake and your ungratefulness leaves you humans too blind to cherish what you have. You barely realize that nothing exists without a price and the price that these inhuman children of the night pay for their power is life itself - be it their own or another’s.” Yang’s eyes widened. She had heard somewhere before that vampires consumed blood to keep their strength up and create more of themselves, but that was all.

“So you help them trade the lives of others to pay that cost?! You’re **all** monsters!”

“Quiet, glamazon!” With a single arm, he swung her around like a ragdoll. “Sick, yes, but in the end, you are just as guilty of the same crime!” Yang looked at him in disbelief. “Ah, I wonder what other so-called _truths_ they deceive you with!... Then again, education beyond the reach of the Schnee is far different from what they offer inside,” he spat. “In that case, I will teach you something good, but first, why the life of a Huntress? There is so much more out there.” This Faunus was putting Yang exactly where he wanted her. Yang was simply a pawn he was stringing along, baiting her with tantalizing information, but why the interest in her?

“Same reason you monsters are so sick – strength – to protect!” Adam’s lips pursed skeptically and Yang gritted her teeth. She was tired of these games already.

“I almost wanted to believe you there, Sweetheart, but that barely scratches the surface. What is it that you **really** want? Even I can see that there’s more to it than that. You’ve been watched for some time now, Xiao Long, but I’ve never been able to answer this with certainty.” What the hell was it with people knowing shit about her today?! Did Yang suddenly have some sort of fan club that spanned across the worlds of both night and day?! Holy fuck! “You’re like a lone wolf, or you aspire to be. You separate yourself from the pack, always searching, but what is it that you want? What lights that fire? What does Yang Xiao Long truly desire?” Silence rang through the air, filling itself with its own deafening pitch.

“Elites are respected and given the highest of clearances… I need that…” Her breath hitched and she could feel Adam’s gaze piercing through his mask… through her. “To find the Telltale Heart.”

“See, we’re all a bit selfish. There’s no shame in that, Goldilocks.”

“My name is Yang!” She shouted. “And I’m not killing people for strength! I’m earning it by saving them!”

“There is a difference between what you believe to be true and the truth that you are unable to perceive. My mistress gathers strength as an act of selflessness, not selfishness. Your parents understood that, and you too will understand in time, as I’m sure we will be seeing each other **much** more. We **are** the next generation of this farce, after all.”

“You knew my parents?! How?!” The bull let out a dismissive laugh.

“Ah ah ah, we’ll get there!” He tutted. “One thing at a time! I have a valuable lesson for you in vampires! Something you will never be taught!” Yang fidgeted. She wished she could just cut through the bullshit and find out what she needed to know. “Do you know why it is that sirelings can’t disobey their masters? Why they are free once their sire dies? Why they are linked together?”

“Because the vampire venom infects them,” Yang regurgitated Beacon’s teachings as if they were Biblical passages. “It’s like a queen bee and drones. They become like a hive mind.”

“…Interesting…” He deadpanned. “But no, not even close. Vampires are not like insects.”

“The similarities are uncanny,” the blonde vixen spat.

“I’d watch yourself if I were you… A sharp tongue is how I wound up in my current state of… servitude,” Adam lamented spitefully. Crazy as it seemed, somewhere hidden in this exchange, the Fang leader appeared to exhibit a form of concern disguised as this demented exchange of information. But why? He was well-known for his hatred of humans, and that was exactly what Yang was to him – a human obstacle. They exchanged brief glares until he let up and moved on. “As I said, vampires consume human blood, but humans don’t truly die. For lack of a better comparison, they become like diet Sprite versions of their Coca-Cola masters…” Only this guy would use soda as an analogy for the explanation of vampire hierarchy and still make complete sense. “… but however unwilling, there is a price for half-life. Say, the price of half a soul.” The usually bright color drained from Yang’s face.

“A- a soul?” She gulped.

“That’s right. They become forever linked through the exchange of souls and they spend eternity trying to fill the hole that remains by consuming the souls of others. Sirelings remain connected to this world and in exchange, Sires acquire a soul. In this way, it is not wrong to consider vampires as demons, but what of Grimm? The Grimm serve them, but vampires produce them from non-existence, right? Wrong! What do you think happens to the souls of those who are completely consumed?” The blonde’s eyes widened in horror. “It seems you’ve figured it out.”

“Every Grimm is a human soul you monsters have corrupted?!” She tried to choke back her anger, but it felt like fire roaring inside of her. Tears stung the back of her eyes. Her parents… The way they died… That meant they were also now twisted servants.

“Oh, that’s not even the worst part! One would think that by killing a Grimm, you freed them from their prison. Not really. Life doesn’t end for them once they’re inside the belly of a vampire. They see, hear, feel everything their Grimm counterpart is ever made to do. Every gash inflicted on them, every life they take. They feel the pain and anguish. It’s like being stuck somewhere between a coma and an eternal sleep paralysis, praying for death to come but never being released.” The bull Faunus grinned at her. “But wanna’ here something really twisted? The irony is that should someone kill the vampire that took their life, they’d return to existence as a regular human. Sounds peachy and all, but none of them have ever been able to live with themselves. You might as well kill the Grimm. At least in that aspect, you’ll save their soul from eternal damnation. I hear Christians frown on suicide.”

“…pin…” Adam caught the end of a low growl from the huntress.

“What was that?”

“Ozpin… my parents…” Her entire body sweltered with an unnatural heat while her stomach boiled… and Adam smiled to himself. It was almost time to leave. His job here was just about done, but it seemed that his kitty was getting a bit restless. Belladonna attempted to kick at the ice. If she kept at it, eventually she would free herself.

“Settle down, my love! I’ll get to you soon, but for tonight, my interests lie elsewhere!” Adam returned his attention to the feverish blonde. “Becoming an Elite isn’t in your future, just as Lightforge does not flow in your veins.” He nicked Yang’s cheek and wiped a trickle of blood away bringing it to his lips. “Even a Faunus can tell that you are far too pure for that… but Miss Rose on the other hand.” Yang’s hand grasped his wrist with bone-crushing strength, garnering a twisted smile from the Faunus. “It seems she’s in possession of something of value to my mistress? Now, how do you think I should go about handling this bout of business?”

“Leave her out of this!” A small flame flared at the tip of her cowlick as she struggled. “You can have me, instead.” Ah! There it was! It was there for just a second! Just as the mistress foretold! She needed one last thing – one last gift.

“Oh no, Xiao Long. What with the blood of The Burning Priest and the Telltale Heart flowing through your veins, you are destined to be triumphant! But in order to be glorious, you must taste that very glory before you can enjoy its splendor …” The shadows beneath Adam began to shift and writhe, coiling around Yang, and detaching itself from the asphalt. Smooth scales formed and a loud hiss loomed over her as it snaked around her. The creature coiled itself around her arms, crushing her lungs, and leaving Yang with the unpleasant experience of the oxygen leaving her body without the ability to return. “Behold, my mistress and I leave you with a final gift - the glory of desperation!” Everything became faint as she began to asphyxiate and Adam leaned in closely.

“Xiao Long! Pull yourself together!” She could hear Yatsuhashi yell, but it never really clicked. Her final thoughts drifted toward the unknown vampire Adam served. It had gotten some perverse pleasure from taunting her with information just to kill her. She thought it was too easy to ask questions. Black began to eat away at her vision with a jittery haze and soon the world became spotty. That warmth she had felt earlier had grown cold, along with her regular body heat - so much for reaching Elite status. Adam was right… because he knew his master would kill her the whole time… but why? Because that’s what vampires do – that would be the simple answer. This vampire was tying up Adam’s loose ends and she was sure that everyone would follow soon after she perished. It was frustrating that this unknown vampire would be the bane of her final thoughts.

“So Goldilocks, I was wondering if that same blood is also flowing through Ozpin’s veins?”

Anger. Uncontrollable, unbridled fury swelled from deep within, rekindling the dead flames. Her blood ran like lava and lapped at her skin from inside. It burned through her veins and the pressure began to bubble until everything exploded with a blinding force and just like that…

…Everything went white…

 


	8. Where In the World Is Penny Polendina?

They were like tiny little fireflies twinkling amidst an endless ocean of blue; at least, that was how the copper-haired youth romanticized it. With her feet bare, she twirled around in the lush grass that kissed her soles. It was so liberating to be here in this moment. If not for that single, terrifying night where her future had seemed so unclear, she might be still be the item her parents used in their personal vendettas against one another… but at least now she was free and never truly felt alone.

“You know, these last few weeks, I’ve always thought it was strange that I have so much freedom with you.” Emerald eyes still stargazing, she had grown used to the presence of her liberator, though Penny guessed that since she wasn't allowed to leave it was more appropriate to label the vampire her captor... but wouldn't that mean she had to be held against her will? “… I know you’re there. You’re not that sneaky!” Satisfied with herself, Penny crossed her arms. “And you don’t have to wear that! It’s not like I haven’t seen you before!”

“Adam will be here soon,” the raggedly, cloaked female figure stepped from behind the tall oak tree.

“Oh…” While she knew her captor would keep her safe, Penny still did not like Adam. He was greedy, dangerous, and untrustworthy. Daddy had always said that you couldn’t trust a man whose eyes remained unseen… Daddy… He must be so worried about her, but she had to remain strong! Everything would work out in the end! They would see each other at the end of this and go back to being a happy family. **She** had said so! “I heard you have a new nickname and saw Daddy recently. How is he?”

“Come inside first,” the vampire nudged her toward their current safe house. “A new nickname though? Do tell!” The vampiress’ voice came whimsically as they settled in the kitchen. Her captor had a fondness for serving tea and preferred to enjoy her talks with Penny over a cup. “But Jim? I haven’t come across him recently. Where did you hear this?”

“Uh, one of Junior’s guys stopped through to leave some info on someone he called The Circadian.” The freckled girl pushed an envelope across the table. “He said a vampire wearing your cloak paid a visit to that scary fire lady’s house and saved Daddy and he named you Hive. I didn’t know you’re working with them.”

“I’m not…” Penny’s captor hissed more at the idea of aiding Cinder than Penny’s thoughts. “And I haven’t been to Cinder’s place before. I try to stay as far away from that bitch as possible. She’s planning something and it’s not good.” The cloaked piress absently leafed through the contents of the envelope. Inside were black and white photos of a girl with very light-colored hair interacting with various people in what she assumed to be Junior’s establishment. The final two photos were of the woman walking alongside Ruby, amid a crowd of students, as well as one of the white-clad woman holding Ruby bridal style in mid-air atop a glowing glyph. At first she thought that maybe the vampire was keeping tabs on Ruby, but she was more concerned about the light-haired girl. Maybe she was the Fire Empress’ next target? The idea that this girl was going to have to deal with Adam and Cinder’s lackeys brought a sadness from within Penny, but while her captor could be terrifying, Adam’s sadism knew no bounds. “In that case, it seems that Weiss is finally making moves. She’s the only one bold enough to call me out like that.”

“Weiss?!” Penny shrieked. “Weiss is alive?!”

“Keep that to yourself, Penny,” the vampire said in a hushed tone. “The last thing we need is Adam combing through the Schnee.”

“And why would I do something like that?” A smooth voice masked his malice. Thankfully, he had only come in on that last part.

“Because you’re irritated with me right now and you’d like to make my life more difficult.”

“I wouldn’t want to if you had just given me what I want.”

“… Do you have what **I** want?” The vampire asked expectantly. “Our deal is fairly precise.” Scowling, he held out his hand and the vampires took it. Ragged Darkforge raged around his clothing, lashing out toward the vampiress. “That’s right! Return to me, where you rightfully belong!”

“I can hear the screams of all those souls when I wear that,” he hesitated. “Humans would have a greater appreciation for our cause if they knew that little detail. I almost think you enjoy that sound.”

“You learn to ignore it,” she said absent-mindedly as she filed the pictures back into the envelope and handed them to Penny. “In the beginning, it’s very... maddening,” she looked at him earnestly. He was right. When she had awakened from her Frenzy, she had found herself standing in her Hunter fatigues. She hadn’t known how long she had been out of it or why she felt so empty. All she knew was that there was a hole deep within her that could never be filled, despite the full feeling in her belly. Her black jacket was soaked through with something that smelled heavily of iron, and as her sense came back to her, she became aware of flashing red and blue lights. When she sluggishly turned the corner to get a better look, that was when she realized what she must have done.

The first time she had cloaked herself, she was sure of it. She hadn’t known that she would be surrounded by the screams of the souls she had consumed. The screaming, their cries – the sound had almost driven her insane and then she realized it was her own personal hell. No one else would know just how many sins she had committed to get to where she was; not when only a cloak’s bearer could hear them – that was until she learned Faunus could wear them, as well. They just couldn’t produce them. Still, she had learned to deal with the phenomenon on her own, but she held only one regret in regard to it. She had heard that the new turned often returned to places they were familiar with for their first feeding, and in her case, they were right… Every last scream… They were the voices of children… Children she knew.

“Penny, I’m sure that Adam is making you uncomfortable,” Penny thought she could make out a sad smile through the cloak. “As much as I enjoy your presence, you are free to leave, but don’t go too far.”

“You’re not a very good kidnapper,” Penny huffed and Adam let out a loud laugh. Leave it to the kidnapped kid to complain about her captor letting her out of her sight. The vampire sighed loudly. Penny had been a constant headache. At first, she tried her hand at escaping whenever she had the chance, now she complained whenever she wasn’t nearby... but alas, she couldn't let Jim's daughter be taken by **those two**.

“Such a handful… Very well. If you insist, then this will have to do.” Reaching out, the vampire slowly turned her palm upward in a cupping motion. A dark mass bubbled up from the Darkforge and began to chisel itself into an obsidian shape reminiscent of cockatiel. It stretched its wings out and its crest began to erect itself, connecting into its beak. The two items hardened into an icy-looking crystalline and leapt toward Penny, perching itself on her shoulder. “It will be my eyes and ears around you, at all times.”

“That’s so cool!” The cockatiel whistled at her and Penny giggled. “I’m going to name you Polly – Polly Polendina!”

“If I had known that, I would have given you a parrot…”

“Polly’s fine just the way she is!!!” Covering Polly protectively, Penny bolted out the door and Adam laughed harder. As much as it pained him to have aided in saving this human girl, it gave him pleasure seeing her grind his mistress’ gears.

“I’ve done as you asked. Now, why did I have to let them go?”

“Adam, I promised you a child who had awakened Heaven’s Flame – specifically, Yang Xiao Long. Now, that is what I intend to give you.”

“And I had that! In my hands, I might add!” He slammed a hand down on the table as he raised his voice.

“No, Adam, you didn’t. If you’ve even seen Heaven’s Flame, you would know that there is a vast difference between Heaven’s Light and Heaven’s Flame.” The vampire raised her tea to her lips. “There is also a difference between Awaken **ed** and Awaken **ing**.” She placed emphasis on the word endings. “When desperate, you will find the living to be capable of so much more, even accessing abilities they have yet to discover. You sparked her rage, but now it needs to kindle, otherwise you will be left with something useless… and I know how you are with your broken toys. I’d prefer for Yang not to be one of them.” Taking her words in, he glared at her, rather than openly admit she was right.

“First name, eh? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were protecting her.” He turned around and stormed away. “Next time, I’m not letting her get away!”

“Where are you going, Adam?”

“Business with The Council, toots.”Christ, she hated this man. “Tata.”

**ooOOoo**

Weiss watched as Ruby paced nervously back and forth down the white hallways. Even Weiss was now beginning to become unnerved. They had gotten the call the morning during Ruby’s lessons on Forge – Yang was unconscious in the hospital. With the aid of another three civilians, Yatsuhashi had managed to escort Yang and the bus patrons to the hospital. When they had arrived, Yatsuhashi was being treated, but the girls hadn’t stuck around for ‘Thank you’s. That had been three days ago. Team JNR was now on duty and Yang hadn’t woken for over 48 hours, though from the lively sounds coming from her room, she was more than awake now. The hospital had wanted to keep her for an additional day to be sure she was alright, but she wasn’t having that. Suddenly, the door moved ajar and the doctor stepped out.

“Ruby Rose, correct?” The doctor inquired as he rubbed his head. She stopped her pacing and nodded earnestly. “It’s the second time she’s been here this last week, but your sister is lively as ever. I can attest to that.” He flipped over some papers. “She just needs to be signed out and she will be good to go.” Ruby made for the door, but he stopped her. “Listen, between you and me, I've treated several members of your family over the years and if she’s anything like the others, I know how stubborn you all can be. Please, be vigilant with her care. Make sure she stays out of trouble and takes her medication. If anything, she’ll be sore, but I’d like you to keep a close watch on her until her next check-up. I’ve given her the paperwork for proper care, prescriptions, and a doctor’s note that restricts her from field operations and calls for Light Duty, at most. I trust you’ll see that she turns it in to the proper authorities.”

“Yes, sir!” Ruby saluted. “First thing, when I get to school!” The door burst open and Yang stepped out garbed in her traditional brown vest, yellow crop top, and black shorts.

“YANG XIAO LONG SWINGS INTO ACTION!!!” Weiss slammed her palm into her face. Why, God! What had she done to deserve this? They hadn’t even left the hospital and the puns had started. “Why the long face, Snowcone?” Jesus…

“Yaaang! Be nice to Weiss! She’s hasn’t let me leave her sight the whole time, like you wanted! And she’s been super supportive!”

“Yeah, I bet she’s been on you like white on Weiss!”

“Yang!” The two siblings play slapped at each other.

“I’ve just made up my mind to strangle her when I get them home,” Weiss commented to the doctor, who chuckled.

“Do try to survive, Miss?” Ah, the doctor was asking for her name.

“Snow,” she shook his hand.

“You have your hands quite full being around them. I was actually surprised that Mr. Arc wasn’t tending to them.” Jaune?! Shit, she almost forgot about him!

“No need for him! I’ve been with them the last few days! Miss Xiao Long had spoken to me about staying on permanently.”

“Is that so? Well, if you don’t mind me saying, I don’t know how Mr. Arc will take that with Miss Rose being his current charge.” Of course she was… “He was pretty devastated over the… loss… of his previous employer. You may wish to do some research on his particular breed.”

“No, I know enough.” Weiss’ voice softened as she fought back tears at the thought of the poor wolf boy. Life had certainly not been kind to him and he had to deal with the brunt of his failure. While his family had not blamed him, the Schnee's patriarch had declared him a stain on his family’s name and there was no coming back for him.

“They are very loyal and grow attached quite easily. I’m sure he believes Miss Rose to be his chance at redemption, just as much as he seems to care for her.”

“Care?” The doctor chuckled at her concern.

“We’ll leave it at that for now, Miss Snow.” He gained an impeccable amount of gusto. “It’s time you all get out of here! I’m sure Miss Xiao Long is ready to be gone!”

**ooOOoo**

**SCRAAAAWWWW!**

“Heh heh heh…”

“Yang! It’s not gonna’ move! It’s so **mad**!”

**SCRAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!!!!**

“Ah hahahahaha!!!”

“Xiao Long, this isn’t very funny. I’m sure Ruby would like to get inside.”

“You’re right, Weissy!” The blonde chirped. “It’s **not** funny!”

“Thank you for finally having some common sense.”

“It’s hil **AIR** ious!” The red and white duo groaned loudly as the blonde stood

“Happy with yourself, Yang?” Ruby asked in annoyance. “Ya’ proud of yourself with that one?”

**SCRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!**

The tiny bird puffed itself out, claiming the doorknob for itself. No matter what, the little gray and white bird wasn’t leaving. It stood its ground and screeched at them, but with every screech, it only made Yang laugh harder.

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!”

“Oh, alright,” Yang waved it off and opened the door quickly. “Every man for himself!!!” Everyone charged in and Yang slammed the door shut. As the bird flapped angrily across the porch, Yang collapsed to the floor in a fit of laughter until Weiss gave in.

“Alright, I know I’m going to regret this,” she prepared herself for the worst. “What is so funny?”

“That bird really…” She covered her mouth to stifle the laughter. “Flew off the handle!”

“WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!” Moments like this made Weiss consider that world may have been better off without Yang Xiao Long… but there were those that did not agree. She gave a long sigh before she headed upstairs, returning with Myrtenaster on her belt.

“Aaaand, just where do you think you’re going?” Yang asked with an overprotective tone.

“Out?”

“To?”

“Well, **Mom** , if you must know, I thought I’d follow up on some leads on Ruby’s friend.” She shifted Myrtenaster. “Never know if it’ll be dangerous.” Ruby sighed sadly. “See, Ruby misses her friend!”

“No, no that’s the sigh of disapproval,” Yang patronized and slapped Weiss on the back. “You’ll learn that one of these days, Weissy-kins!” It was official. She preferred the irritable Xiao Long to the puns and passive-aggressive jokes.

 “Well… it’s just… Team JNR was coming by later and I really wanted them to meet you.” What little color was usually in Weiss’ pale skin drained away. She couldn’t meet them. At least one of them had beast blood. Her appearance had changed drastically over the last three years, so she could possibly pass as not being recognized… but her scent… Even with that being changed, it wasn’t a positive alteration when it came to the sensitive noses of wolves. She’d be attacked on sight if she were anywhere near.

“Um, maybe next time? I really want to follow up on this lead before they disappear. I also don’t want to get stuck out after nightfall. They can always come back again!” Ruby’s demeanor brightened.

“Okay! We’ll all go out or something! It’ll be fun!”

“Yeah,” Weiss replied with false ardor. “…Fun…” The curb in her enthusiasm didn’t go unnoticed by Yang. This would be something else to consider suspicious. “I’ll catch you all later!” Weiss waved as she left.

“She damn sure couldn’t have gotten out of here sooner.”

“Yang, don’t be mean!”

“I’m not! I’m just saying she seemed like she wanted to get out!” Yang defended as she walked into the kitchen with Ruby in tow. “You know, you don’t have to follow me everywhere.”

“I have to make sure you relax!” The blonde plopped herself into her chair.

“There! I’m sitting. You happy?” The redhead sighed and pulled out some ham slices and cheese, and sat them on the table, alongside a loaf of bread.

“I don’t feel like cooking, right now.”

“Awwww, but I’ve been looking forward to **real** food,” the blonde pouted. “I thought you were taking care of meeeee!”

“I am!... I just… haven’t gone shopping,” Ruby stammered as she started putting sandwiches together and dividing them between the two.

“Ooooooh! Well, we can do that later if you want!” The blonde offered cheerfully as she bit into her sandwich. Truthfully, she wanted to stretch her legs as much as possible. Unfortunately, she couldn’t just run off and do whatever she wanted. Not when it was Ruby’s turn to be in Mom Mode. Part of her wondered if this was what it was like to be in Ruby’s shoes when Yang was being overprotective. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, followed by a cheerful squee. Yang chuckled as she swallowed her food and stood up before Ruby. “I’ll get it, Rubes. I can at least answer a door. Eat.” Swaying her hips as she walked down the hall, Yang laughed as she heard the playful tussling of Ruby three classmates.

“Oooo! Nice!” She opened the door to find Nora pinning Jaune in an awkward position. However she had managed it, the position had Jaune’s arms crossing through his legs, which had bent over his head. In an orange blur, the hyperactive rocket launched herself into Yang, tackling her to the ground.

“You’re okay! Oh my God! We were so scared that you had been **eaten**!” Nora exaggerated the word with a shrill voice. “But I knew! The infallible Yang Xiao Long falls to no one but the Queen of the Castle!” Nora leapt up, propping her foot on Jaune’s rear and sending him back to the ground. Poor guy had almost made it back up too.

“Nora, maybe we should ask Yang to let us in,” the soft spoken Ren suggested.

“Oh! Good idea, Renny!” She swung an arm around him. “Make them think they’re in control and **that’s** when we strike!” Ren must have had the patience of a saint to deal with her. Somewhere in the future, there would be an altar dedicated to him. The four teens sauntered into the kitchen to meet up with Ruby, who looked extremely delighted to see them.

“You’re all awfully energetic for just getting off duty.” Yang pointed out as she sat back down in her chair.

“Well, that’s because we were excited to hear that you’re out!” Nora pointed out as she stole a bite from the sandwich in Ruby’s hand.

“Hey! You **could** ask for your own!” Ruby cried.

“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?” Nora teased and pinched her cheeks and switched to baby talk. “Then I wouldn’t have these cute, little cheeks that puff out when you’re angry to pinch!” The annoyed two-tone haired girl tried to swat Nora away but she wasn’t having it. Only when Ren cleared his throat did she settle down, opting to simply drape herself around the younger girl. “You were in the hospital all weekend and we were on duty,” Nora returned to answering Yang. “We were super worried, but you know how the whole protocol thing is, so we didn’t get a chance to get over ‘til today. Ruby let us know that they okayed you to go home, so we thought we’d drop by!” In that exact moment, an evil grin spread across Nora’s face. She had been waiting for this moment. She tilted Ruby’s face toward her and stared wickedly into her eyes. “Fufufufu. Plus, what better time than now to meet this older woman of yours, Ruby?

“Older… woman?” Yang voice cracked. Weiss was **so** dead. “What’d you two do while I was gone? I asked her to **watch** you, not **pounce** you! No wonder she cleared outta’ here so fast! I **knew** she was being suspicious!”

“Yang, it’s not what you think! She’s just teasing ‘cuz I fangirled over her saving me the other night,” Ruby word-vomited, successfully quelling the beast that had begun to awaken. Ruby shot a glare at Nora. “Thanks a lot.” Ooo! So much spite!

“No problemo!” Nora saluted with her tongue poking out.

“Nora…” Ruby looked at her with the most serious expression.

“What can I do for my most appetizing little Ruben?” Behind Ruby, Yang shot her two thumbs up. Yang would surely give her a pat on the back for that one.

“Where’s my sandwich?”

“… Now, you’re probably wondering about the location of the aforementioned sandwich, and you are worried rightly so, but first I propose to you a different question.” Yang stifled her laughter and Ren shook his head. “Was there ever really a sandwich in the first place? What if the sandwich was but an ideal? A figment of your imagination – and a vivid one, at that!”

“You ate my sandwich!” Ruby lunged at Nora, but she hopped over the seat and ran down the hall, stopping at the stairs.

“Your sandwich wanted it! It practically begged! It was all like, ‘Put me in your mouth, Nora.’ And I was like ‘But what will the others think!’ It told me you’d understand! Ruby Rose, your sandwich was a vile temptress!” Letting out a warcry, Ruby pursued Nora and the energetic girl fled up the stairs. “Your sandwich coerced me! I was faced with a **deli** mma!”

“Oh my God, yes,” Yang fell over with laughter. As a pun master, she had to give it to her for the setup. **Deli** mma… She’d have to remember that for later. “Hey, Ren, is she always like this after duty?”

“In a short answer,” Ren sighed, taking the empty seat Nora had left. “Yes.”

“Hey! Tall, blonde, and brooding over there!” Taking notice of the brooding blonde boy that kept looking around the house, Yang smacked the table. “What’s eating you? Still butthurt over Nora kicking your butt?”

“No…” Yang gave him a look that encouraged him to go on. “Sorry if I’m being paranoid. It just smells like death in here.” The blonde girl stared at him blankly before launching a noogie attack on him.

“Oh, you are so dead!” She called playfully through gritted teeth. “Commenting on a woman’s odor when she hasn’t showered in days! I’ll have you know there are three other people in this house who were on duty, haven’t showered, and _smell like death in here_! I haven’t even been home long enough to wash my uniform!”

“Oh…” Jaune struggled to get free. What was up with everyone picking on him today? “That makes a lot more sense!” The arm around his neck loosened and she let him fall to ground, gasping.

“Any… weird run-ins this weekend?” Yang asked hesitantly.

“No, it was pretty quiet. We’ve mostly done patrol this week. After… what happened, night transit between cities has been postponed for the time being… Do you… want to talk about what happened?” Yang scratched the back of her head.

“Yeah, but not right now,” she dragged along. “As odd as it sounds, I want the ex-Elite here. She might be able to make some sense of it.”

“Totally!” Ruby startled everyone, she gasped alongside Nora for air. “She’ll definitely be able to help you, Yang! She started giving me some lessons after you went on duty, but it wound up turning into something to keep me busy so I didn’t freak out the whole weekend. She’s so smart but Yang…”

“What?”

“She's definitely hiding something. She knows **too** much and I have an idea of why... maybe...” Everyone’s attention turned toward Ruby and Yang’s temper flared, but Ruby stopped her before she could say anything. “Think about it, Yang. Saying she’s an ex-Elite and just happened to be passing through is a lot easier than saying she works with Uncle Qrow. I think she works for the Headmaster and they both put her up to this. From everything she said, she knows **way** too much about our family, even stuff we don't know and... I was hoping that maybe... eventually she can tell us what everyone is hiding.” Taking a moment to think, Yang pondered the existence of the so-called ex-Elite. She just happened to show up in the nick of time during both Yang’s raid and the attack on Ruby in the same night. Someone of a similar description had been reported at several of Yang’s job sites. Clearly, she had been watching them for some time.

“I think you might be right,” Yang surrendered. “I haven’t said anything, but someone’s been watching us for a while and I think it’s been her…” Yang punched the table. “I knew Uncle Qrow didn’t trust me to do things on my own!”

“But Yang, you survived the other night and she was here with me!” Ruby argued. “That’s proof enough!”

“Barely!” Yang yelled. “This person in white that I’ve only seen in the distance has saved my ass countless times. That raid was the first time I’ve ever seen her up close! Friday was the first time I haven’t seen her and even then, some mercenaries that for all I know could have been working with her, swooped in to save my ass **again**! Three, Ruby, three mercenaries pretty much handled the entire situation and do you know what I got out of that?” Ruby shrank back. “That there’s a fourth one, who wasn’t around,” Yang yelled hysterically. “Do you see what's funny about, Rubes? The Faunus girl didn’t know where her partner - who happens to be a pain in the ass that disappears - was at. Who does that sound like to you? Who just took off to do whatever the hell they want,” Yang looked at her watch. “Oh, let’s say an hour ago?”

“Uh, Yang,” Nora help up a finger. “Hi, uh, I think you might be really reaching there. You might really need some rest.” Yang stormed past them and swung the door open.

“Yang, where are you going?” Ruby’s called in a small voice.

“For a walk!” The door slammed behind her and Ruby whimpered. This wasn’t how she hoped things would go. Nora squeezed Ruby’s hand and hugged her.

“Ruby, she’ll be back,” Ren reassured her.

“Yeah, she’s just frustrated and needs some time to cool off,” Jaune added. “I don’t think she’s quite dealt with her partner dying. She’s gonna’ have to deal with it at some point or she’s just going to keep feeling like she’s not good enough or like everyone’s treating her differently. Everyone’s just watching Yang’s back because she doesn’t have anyone else to.” Jaune rubbed the back of his head nervously. “But speaking of that… Ruby, I wanted to ask you something…”

**ooOOoo**

They just didn’t understand! No one did! Yang tried so hard – struggled even, to get to where she was. She outperformed 90% of Beacon’s students, with only a very few upperclassmen topping her. She didn’t want to be a liability and that’s exactly how they were treating her. On top of all of that, it had been rumored that The Council wanted Ruby for some reason. Whatever she had inherited from Summer made her a prime target and Yang had yet to blossom. How was she supposed to protect Ruby?... To find Raven? This was so stupid!

The hot-headed girl fumed into a local convenience store, grabbing a protein shake and sports drink. She might as well hit the gym for a bit to work off some of this frustration. If she took it easy and stayed away from the heavy stuff, she should be fine. No doubt, Ruby would be concerned, especially with what had a few nights ago, but she would be home before nightfall. She paid the cashier and rushed out, making her way toward the rougher part of town. While the gym was there, she typically came out here to knock some heads around – sometimes for information, sometimes for cash. Hey, the locals bet good money on street fights, especially if you were a human taking on a werebeast-type!... But Yang wasn’t feeling it today. She was out of sorts.

She just couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Her skin was cool to the touch, but it was like she was on fire inside – a fever, without the fever. To make things worse, she didn’t remember anything after that bright light. What had Adam done to her? And what about those mercenaries? Now that she had time to think about it, it did seem rather silly for them to be working with Weiss. Belladonna had some sort of connection to Adam, which tied her to the White Fang, and that wouldn’t cut it for someone working with Uncle Qrow. Plus, Beacon didn’t outsource important clients or transit detail to mercenaries. They were unruly, usually untrustworthy, and usually came with their own agenda. As her eyes crossed the signs, she spotted the gym. Awesome, it was time to try to break this fever.

As she headed toward the gym, her eyes passed over a local night joint known for being an information hub. If it weren’t for the fact that he cooperated with Beacon when needed – sometimes needing some positive reinforcement - he would have been shut down a while ago. She chuckled to herself at the memory of the last time she had been there. It was safe to say Junior wouldn’t want to see her face any time soon. With the gym in sight, she started to pass the alleyway that the club’s entrance was at, but found herself backtracking to do a doubletake.

In front of the entrance, was Weiss conversing with the bouncer. The two both looked displeased with the subject of their conversation and it appeared he was refusing her entrance in the beginning. There was one last exchange before the bouncer shrunk down and let her in, grumbling unpleasantries before settling back into his post. With her interest now caught, Yang became determined to find out what business Weiss had in a vampire’s hangout. She waltzed her way over to the door and made for the entrance but was stopped.

“Uh, uh! No way am I dealing with **both** of you today.” He stood his ground. “Plus, you alone are way too much. Boss doesn’t wanna’ see your face in the building. Make good and disappear and I won’t even mention you.”

“Really? I’m banned, but she’s not? No way in hell she has you beat!”

“Watch it, blondie,” he growled.

“You must be itching for a fight almost as bad as I am! How’s about this – I kick your ass, I get in. You kick mine, I won’t come back!” She grinned. “But of course, I’m gonna’ win, so it doesn’t matter.”

“That’s it. You’ll regret this, blond-“ The man froze as hand landed on his shoulder and the color drained from his face.

“Problem?” It was a charming boy with spiked blue hair and red eyes... a vampire… The boy stepped out from behind him and gave Yang a once-over. “Seems like you have an issue with my friend’s friend! And if there’s an issue with my friend’s friend, there’s an issue with me! Then again, I’d personally rather deal with me before my friend!” Inside, Weiss took a break from speaking with a golden monkey faunus and glared at the bouncer. “Listen buddy, rumor has it she has a shorter-temper than Weiss and I’d hate for things to blow outta’ proportion, so let’s just let this slide for the sake of peace!”

“No way! The eldest daughter of the Burning Priest **and** the Circadian in here at the same time?! Hell no!” Circadian? Wincing at a sharp pain, Yang pressed a palm to her eye in an attempt to alleviate the wave of disorienting pressure that washed over her until all she saw was white.

 ** _“Next time, I’ll tell you about the Children of Circadia and the creation of Elders.”_** Yang shivered as the chilling voice of the bull faunus rang through her ears.

“I wasn’t asking,” his eyes glowed a dangerous hue as he maneuvered the bouncer away from the door and held it open for Yang. “If you’re coming in, I’d do it while he’s changed his mind. I’d prefer no violence, today.” Shocked by the bouncer’s sudden change of attitude and skeptical of the vampire’s willingness to help, she entered the club cautiously. Oddly enough, there were a number of individuals she recognized inside – Faunus, werebeast, and vampire alike. Chills went down her spine at the thought of that last one. What was Weiss doing in a building with all of these beings? From what she could tell, this made Yang and Weiss the only humans in the building. They were a walking feast. As Yang approached the alabaster ex-elite, she noticed the faunus looking at a slip of paper then hand it back to her. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.

“Nah, I haven’t seen her. There’s no word on the street either,” he slowly glanced at Yang and Weiss followed suit. “I’ll keep an eye out though.”

“Hey, Weissy!” The blue-haired boy called and Yang took note of his overly familiar nature with Ruby’s latest obsession. “Look what I found!”

“You didn’t find her, you idiot! She followed me and you helped her get in.” He deflated and Yang stared at him as her memory had been jarred something... In a way, his way of expressing himself made him seem familiar. “I watched you.”

“You don’t have to be so mean,” he sobbed and twiddled his fingers.

“I’d prefer if our meeting like this remained confidential,” Weiss stated as she tucked the picture back into her jacket.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” the monkey boy waved her off dismissively. “But you can’t run forever.  I’ve got **her** breathing down my neck and you know how she can get… Plus, Blake is worried about you and isn’t making things any easier for me. Eventually she’s gonna’ figure out we’ve been meeting with you. Why the hell else would we come out here? This is enemy territory.”

“Look, I know.”

“No,” the blue-haired boy cut in. “I don’t think you realize how many times Blake has almost found you and we’ve saved your ass. I’m pretty sure she’s trying to track down the Ice Queen in hopes of finding you along the way.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Yang cut in. “You’re looking for the Ice Queen?!” The blonde found herself as the center of attention in both the group she was standing among and the club’s patrons. Weiss rolled her eyes and smacked her palm to her forehead. This was just great.

“That’s…” The ex-elite averted her eyes. “A large portion of how I ran into your sister, yes.” The faunus and vampire’s eyes both grew wide at the revelation.

“Oooooh, I get it now,” the monkey grinned. “That’s why you haven’t come back.”

“Huh?” The blue-haired boy grabbed Weiss’ hands and held them between his own and looked earnestly into her eyes. “Unhand me, you idiot!”

“Being next to Ruby Rose is dangerous, Weiss.” His voice was very serious. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before letting out a wail and throwing himself onto her. “And I don’t want you getting hurt! I’d be so sad if The Council did something to you because of it!” He shrieked. “Whyyyyy! Why would the gods curse you so!!!” Thoroughly annoyed, Weiss stared flatly at Yang and gave an aggravated sigh.

“Frankly, you are more problematic than I think The Council will be.” Weiss knocked him on the top of his head and pushed him off.

“Ow! That hurt!” He rubbed his head and gave her a pitiful look. There it was again. Something was definitely familiar to Yang but she couldn’t place it. “Kiss it and make it better!” This earned an intense glare and he smiled devilishly. “Pleeeeeeeease?”

“You have until the count of 1…” He scrambled up.

“Ok, ok! Sheesh! I’m playing with you!” He rolled his shoulders. “But look, Blake’s got negotiations coming up soon and she’s gonna’ need you. There’s also all the other little piddly shit you’re involved in. You gotta’ set aside your personal vendetta with the Queenie and woman up.” Weiss gave another aggravated sigh.

“Like I said, I know.” Weiss looked uncomfortable. “I’ll be back soon, anyway – meds are running low.” The boy’s jaw dropped at the revelation and he shrieked at her.

“Wait! Have you not gotten anymore since before you left?” Weiss shook her head ‘No’ in response.  “Are you crazy?! I’m surprised you haven’t had an episode! They would have a field day with you! How have you not?! You need to return, and not just because of Blake!”

“Is your illness really that bad?” Yang cut in again.

“Ye-“

“No,” Weiss cut the boy off. “It isn’t. It’s become a lot more manageable over the last few months. I don’t even have to take the meds every day. I’ve literally just been taking it as needed.”

“Really?” The monkey seemed skeptical over this revelation and Weiss shot him a glare. He raised his hands defensively. “Hey, I’m just sayin’, other people have really bad complications with your problem, but if that’s true, then we should probably report it.”

“And let Blake know you’ve been talking to me the whole time?”

“…Point taken.”

“Weiss, if you’re as sick as they keep talking about, maybe it’s not a good idea for you to watch over my sis-“

“I’m plenty fine to keep an eye on Ruby, Yang.” The alabaster girl assured her and the two boys looked between each other. She was definitely acting strange. “I’m not as sick as they make me out to be. There was an issue with someone that developed the same condition and they’ve been a bit overbearing because of it.”

“Hey!” Both boys yelled in unison.

“… So,” Yang began. “What the fuck?” The blonde motioned to them and asked in disbelief. “You work with vampires and faunus? Just who the hell are you, Weiss?”

“It’s a bit complicated.”

“Well, I’ve got all day!” She opened her arms wide. “In fact, I’ve got ‘til whoever decides I’m allowed to do my job again!”

“Let’s just say I have friends in high and low places. It’s sort of necessary for this job.”

“Well, duh,” Yang rolled her eyes. “I’ve got Junior. That’s about as low as you can go, but how does an Elite wind up with connects here and not get killed the moment they walk through the door.” Both the boys started snickering at Yang’s mention of Elites. “What’s so funny?!”

“Oh, no, nothing. Hahaha, this is great!” The blue-haired boy slapped his knee and leaned against his buddy.

“Go away…”

“Now that, I can do!” The blue boy stood up proudly and grinned. “So, our time here has been short, but this has been awesome.” He winked at Yang.

“Can it, seaweed!” Weiss glared at him again. “Get outta’ here and make sure you get a hold of me if you hear anything about the girl.”

“Whatever, boss!” He saluted her and fell into a backwards dash. “We’re outie five thoudie!”

“Wait,” Yang called to the blue-haired boy and he stopped without looking back. The look on Sun’s face betrayed the serious look his friend must have been wearing. “Have we met before?”

“Who? Me?” The vampire turned his head back and grinned at her in a teasing manner, then pointed at his face. “Nah, I just got one of those familiar faces!” Then turned and ran off excitedly with his blonde buddy in tow. Weiss shook her head at the two and grumbled to herself about how birds of a feather flocked together and sulked about having to meet with them to begin with. After a moment, she felt eyes on her and glanced at Yang.

“So…” The golden huntress looked at her white counterpart expectantly.

“So…”

“What the hell was that?!” She was so confused. How could she be friends with the enemy? “He called you boss?!”

“He thinks I’m bossy, so it’s a joke that’s meant to offend me. If anything, it’s his personality that I find aggravating.”

“Why the hell would you work with a vampire though?!”

“The same reason you’re standing here in the middle of a vampire den – to find information. In particular, he’s rather harmless.”

“He’s sane…”

“My point, exactly.”

“No, Weiss, that’s the problem!” Did she not understand what sanity in vampires meant? How! She used to be an Elite! “Do you realize how many people vampires have to kill before they get past the frenzy stage?! A lot! A lot of people had to die for him to be able regain his ability to reason! He should be one of our prime targets!”

“He’s never killed anyone. I can assure you of that.” Those blue eyes became as cold as they were dangerous. “I’ve kept a close eye on him since the day he turned. His friend, the monkey, stays with him wherever he goes. I get updates on how he’s doing, but they are both aware of the stipulations and he has given his consent. If ever he makes an attempt on a human life, Sun is to put him down without a second thought.” Her tone of voice was icy and clear. There was nothing left for second-thoughts in those now devoid eyes; eyes that were appropriate for an Elite and for the first time since meeting her, Yang thought that it might have actually been possible that Weiss had been an Elite. She had only even heard stories of the depths of their cruelty toward others, but she had assumed that it was impossible for them to fit in with civilians. Maybe they could just bury it like the war veterans of simpler times; times when it was simply man vs man. “As for being attacked, knowing who I am, it would be fairly stupid for anyone to attack me… Might I ask why you’re here?”

“… I got into an argument with Ruby and went on a walk…”

“Is she alright?” For the first time, Weiss’ frown dissipated and was replaced with worry. It was actually kind of cute how the girl in white changed at the mention of Ruby. “You didn’t make her cry, did you?!”

“What, no!” The blonde was highly offended at the suggestion. “We argued about... you…”

“Oh…”

“Yeah… Oh, is right…” Weiss took a minute to take that in. Somehow, she had caused an argument between the sisters.

“Let’s head to Junior’s office. I’m sure he’s dying to see me…” Weiss began to lead the way. “So, what was it about?...That it had to do with me, I mean.”

“Ruby says you've been hiding a lot of things - omitting the truth.” Weiss froze for a minute. Though she appeared relatively calm on the outside, she was a wreck on the inside. Had she been seen through? “She believes you work for the Headmaster, alongside Uncle Qrow…” Weiss gulped. “If that’s true, you’ve been watching me… both of us, actually…” Weiss could feel a bit of heat emanating from the blonde, as well as a bit of a glow. That wasn’t good. She hadn’t expected Yang to awaken that yet, but that explained some of what the hospital had mentioned… She’d have to get her to calm before it erupted again.

“ **Technically** , she’s not wrong.” Weiss began. “She’s not correct, but she’s not wrong. Qrow does not aware of my deployment, but yes. While I no longer work for Schnee directly, I am sometimes employed by the Headmaster.”

“Oh…” That actually spoke for Weiss’ skill level a lot. She knew how good Uncle Qrow was, but to be on the same level of operation as him said a lot about Weiss. Yang knew not to question the actions of someone who worked for the Headmaster. “If you were hoping for more, I’m afraid there’s not much more I can tell you at this time.”

“The guys earlier mentioned the Ice Queen,” she now had Weiss’ full attention. “Uncle Qrow was telling me about her the other day. He says that I knew her when she was alive. When they mentioned her, I thought maybe Ruby was right about you working with Uncle Qrow. There’s so much I want to ask, but I know I can’t. You won’t be able to answer.”

“I will, in time.”

“How long?”

“A time will come when the two of you will have to choose sides and what you learn depends on those choices. A lot is going to happen soon, so you should both be extremely careful. Even if you are not aware of the _why_ , you both know who you are and what your existence means to humanity.” Yang paused in thought. Sure, she and Ruby both knew who they were – the daughters of The Burning Priest, The Telltale Heart, and Beacon’s Rose. They were survivors of a tragedy, but did their existence have a deeper meaning? “Listen, nothing is as it seems. That, I can tell you. Even the ScareQrow knows this, though I’m certain he is unaware of how far it goes.” There were so many questions Yang had, but for now, she’d start with something simple.

“So, what are you doing here?” It was easy enough.

“Oh, this? I’m…” Weiss blushed and averted her eyes. “Making good on a promise to your sister. I’m looking for Miss Polendina and I thought it best to start with Junior. We’re here by the way.” Weiss knocked on the giant double doors and waited a moment. A bald man with a fedora opened the doors and took one glance at both of them.

“Nope,” he started to shut the doors, but Weiss stuck her foot in between them and leaned in.

“You don’t want any problems, now do you?” Her voice was dangerous. “You could make this easy and just let us have a few words with Junior **or** ,” she motioned her head toward Yang, who cracked her knuckles. “You could take a few minutes to play with my friend, here. Now, what do you suppose is easier?” He gulped and stepped back, opening the door slowly, and they both walked through. Clearly, Weiss had been back here before, as she knew the way. They came to a desk with a man frantically sifting through papers. Weiss cleared her voice and he briefly looked up at her, then back.

“Oh, seriously? Both of you?!” He collapsed into his chair and threw his hands up. “What do I even pay these people for! Can I get some help in here?”

“That would be unwise, Junior. You know I have no qualms with killing every single individual in this building. I’m certain I’d be doing a number of favors. You’re all alive by my good graces.” Seriously, who the fuck was Weiss?!

"Fine, fine! Just keep Blondie on a chain!" Junior growled. “I can’t keep having her destroy my business!”

"Hey!" Yang was stopped by Weiss hand motion to stop in front of her.

"Relax, we're not here to fight. Just tell us what we want to know and we'll be on our way. You know I don't care much to be here." Digging into her coat again, Weiss handed over the image from earlier. "Have you seen this girl? Penny Polendina?" Sneering, Junior snatched the picture and gave it a half-assed glance.

"Nope! Can't say I have," he said dismissively. "Will that be all?" The man jolted as Weiss slammed a hand on his desk and vaulted over his desk, sending his papers flying. Grabbing him by his collar, she buried him deeply into his chair and planted her boot firmly between his crotch.

"If I were you, I would look it over carefully," she snarled. "A family was brutally murdered and this girl taken. Ruby Rose was supposed to be there that night and it's believed that she was taken instead. My patience is wearing extremely thin, right now, so last chance: Penny Polendina. Have you heard anything about this girl? A girl? Any girl? Captured girls? Slave trade!" Junior gulped before lifting his shaking hand up and giving a closer look at the image. “I don't care if it's the work of a human, faunus, or vampire!”

"This is Ironwood's girl?" Weiss nodded and released him. "I'm sure that news of the capture of Ironwood's kid would travel fast, but nothing has come through here. As for girls, there's always something about girls. Most of what I'm hearing has to do with two relatively-new-to-the-scene Nobles: a guy with a bowler hat and some mute broad!"

"The Fire Empress' clan?"

"Yeah! That's the one!" He snapped his fingers. "But ya’ didn't hear it from me!"

"Uncle Qrow mentioned her the other night. Who's this Fire Empress?" Yang inquired.

"Oh ho ho ho! Blondie, trust me on this one - someone you **want** to avoid. Ain't that right, Snow?" Weiss sighed in aggravation.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. I was really hoping her name wouldn't come up. In a wonderful world, Penny isn't one of the girls Neo and Torchwick are picking up... This is shaping up to be one big pain in the ass. Mercury's already seen me and he's been confirmed to be working for the empress."

"Well, alrighty then! You seem to have your hands full! Let's see... What else do I have that can help ruin your day?" He crossed his arms and thought to himself. "There was an interesting tidbit about Ironwood though - something to do with making a deal with Hive's leader, but nothing about his daughter."

"Ironwood would never work with Hive!” Yang shouted in disbelief. “They're a bunch of traitors to humans!"

"Hahaha, clearly Blondie doesn't know much about this wonderful world we live in, eh, Icy? You might wanna' go ahead and give her that rude awakening she's in for. Better now, than never." He handed the image back to Weiss. "But speaking of ice, you still looking for info on the Ice Queen? Got something real tasty for ya'!" Her interest now piqued, Weiss cocked her head.

"Go on."

"Hot damn! Turns out she's in town!"

"...I see..."

"I'd stay out of her way though. Seems like she's got her foot in with some unsavory people and been doin' a little bit of... "collecting", so to speak." He air quoted the word before relaxing back into his chair. "Sorry I can't say I've been able to help you much, but all I can say is that I can't wait to see how this giant mess of yours turns out! Much as I hate it, word on the Circadian and the Xiao Long-Rose sisters are the hottest commodity for us information brokers. You should be ecstatic I give you so much for free."

"I am... and no, Junior, you've been far more helpful than you know," Weiss said absently. "Xiao Long, the Polendina Household... Is it still closed off? Crime scene preserved?"

"Uhhh, as far as I know, yeah."

"Good, I'll be making a visit." Weiss offered a hand out to Junior. "Well then, Junior, it has been a pleasure doing business with you, as always." A mild animosity lay behind her words.

"The pleasure is all mine," he matched her with his own displeasure and reluctantly accepted her hand. “Child of Circadia.”

"Let's see to it that I don't have to come back, shall we?" Her voice was frighteningly cheery and her grip firm enough to convey her message.

"Yeah... Please, don't."


	9. Intel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hey guys! I’m so proud! A faster update! This is definitely, probably my favorite piece I’ve been working on. I wanted to be courteous and give you all a heads up, since my writing will be changing a bit. We’re getting into some darker elements and more adult themes. I’m not sure if I feel confident enough to write Lemon material, but the last scene will have I guess a bit adult (Light Lime???) Idk. I’ve definitely read WAY more adult stories than this one lol. You all tell me. Also, I'll have a Reviewer Response at the end too!

Oh, god how he hated her grin... and those beady little eyes that couldn't choose a color to stick to. If he hadn't known any better, he'd say Neo did it on purpose. Damn, she was annoying and the whole mute part just rubbed the salt in the wound. He was a dick if he said anything about it or he was a little bitch for taking shit from those condescending eyes... Well, at least for the moment, she settled for the traditional crimson red befitting of Nobility. He was sure she would torment him later when it was less serious of a tone.

"Yet again, Neptune, I find it to be **you** standing before me, while your Siress remains to be found." The turquoise-haired boy stood with his head down, arm pledged over his heart, partially bowing before The Council's current Acting Mistress. Neptune could feel, rather than hear, Neo laughing at his predicament. While Neo and that Torchwick guy - Roman, he believed was his name - obeyed The Fire Empress without fail, his Siress was far more rebellious in nature, both in her human life and beyond. "Boy, where is The Duchess?"

"Ahhh, er, The Duchess has been a bit…” Neptune adjusted the yellow-tinted goggles that sat beneath the messy bangs of his undercut and adjusted the tie black beneath his red jacket. “Preoccupied recently."

"And what has had her so tied up that she is unable to grace us with her presence?” the Fire Empress spoke in a scrutinizing manner. “It is already questionable enough that we are unable to check in with her using traditional methods for The Council’s membership... Or are we correct to be suspicious?" Oh man, being stared down by this woman was downright terrifying. No wonder his siress took rain checks on these friendly little get-togethers, but what should he tell her? Dammit! The Empress further narrowed her glare at him. "Ozpin, these newlings that you bring before us are disobedient, at best! Could you not find anything better? This boy is far more useless than that Duchess you sired! At least, she has some form of articulation."

"Haha, Cinder, calm yourself!" A middle-aged vampire stood and approached the boy, placing his hands around his cheeks and tilting his head up to look into his eyes. He smiled at him and looked at Cinder. "You simply need to know how to speak with them. One must first **give** respect in order to receive it! This is why my sireling and her covenship have come to respect me. You have much to learn if you wish to become sanctioned, as was The Originator, who led this very Council before you." He looked back to Neptune and gave him a reassuring look. Surely, she would calm herself if her prowess as a mistress was questioned. "Now, my friend, I'm sure there is **something** you can tell us of her whereabouts and dealings. Am I wrong?"

Should he? Was there anything to really tell? Well, the situation put him in quite the predicament... Actually, maybe there was something he could willingly part with that would aid her. He could use this to fish for information. He gulped to himself and made up his mind. This would either end with him retrieving information and making his Duchess appear as a shining star or being buried for false accusations.

"I... suppose it couldn't harm," Neptune began. "She's been tending to two instances. On one hand, it appears Hive will be making a move to appropriate the Xiao Long-Rose sisters. On the other," he decided to take a shot at the Fire Empress' coven. Neptune shrugged and took a taunting tone. "The Duchess's coven specializes in cleaning up The Council's messes, and with all due respect, most of which have recently come from your coven. I'm sure that Neo and Torchwick have made you fully aware of the circumstances, Fire Empress." Neo’s smile faltered and she broke into a cold sweat. That slimy little fuck just redirected everything to them. How dare he!

"Oh?" Fire burned in her eyes. This was news to Cinder. She tilted her head toward Neo, silently asking what he spoke of. Those Neapolitan eyes went white with fear under her empress' fiery gaze, but it was Torchwick who saved her, making his presence known.

"I am certain this is some sort of half-brained attempt at redirecting your wrath, my lady," he began. With his orange hair tucked under his dark bowler hat, he went for a mobsteresque look, completed by a white trenchcoat, cane, and cigar. "We have made sure to be as discreet as possible."

"Really?" Neptune glowed as if he had some sort of dirt on them. Oh, he was going to relish in this moment. The day he finally beat Cinder's coven at their own game! His Duchess would be so proud! He might even get a smooch later!

"Yes, you dimwit!" He grinned slyly at the gangster wanna-be. “There is no room for error!”

"You might want to beat that sense of perfection into yourself a little harder, bud!" He said, dismissing Torchwick with a shrug. "Word on the curb is," he leaned forward and covered his mouth as if he were about to tell a secret. "Neo and Torchwick are kinda' sloppy when it comes to collecting these girls of yours!" He finished the statement off with a wink in Neo's direction. Hah! Today, Neptune would lord over Neo! He grinned in self-satisfaction as her smile dripped away and her eyes bulged. Oh, she knew exactly what he was talking about. They could all see it!

"Neo, what does he mean?" Uh, did they forget she was mute? The girl shook her head and stepped back. Irritated with her servant's lack of willingness, Cinder glared furiously at the blue-haired boy. "Elaborate."

"Weeeell, it looks like they launched an attack on Ironwood's family and tried to take his daughter, which, if you check, you'll find was not collected."

"While I would prefer them to live until I deem otherwise,” the empress stared at him in an unconvinced manner. “I fail to see where this is a problem."

"Have Neo and I ever failed before?" The boy had a point, but Torchwick wasn’t going to stand for this. "While I admit it is rare for us to leave something unfinished, collateral damage is sometimes unavoidable. If Ironwood seeking vengeance is this so-called _mess_ , we have nothing to fear." Neo appeared relieved; that was, until Neptune chose to speak again.

"Actually, that's **exactly** what the problem is **and** where The Duchess’ job comes in." Awesome, all he had needed was the confirmation of Neo and Torchwick's presence in that house and it verified the validity of his tip-off. Neo's distressed looks at the mention of the night's events had been the nail in the coffin. "See, the problem with them fucking up doesn't present itself in the form of Ironwood, though that might be a problem in itself later. Two things have happened as a direct result: the first being that Hive's Elder has now become a major player on the field, offering Ironwood her aid. Since we don’t have her, that leaves us in the clear whenever they approach us about it, buuuuuut that leads us to problem number two, which is who **does** have her… aaaaaaand possession of Penny Polendina goes to,” he revved himself up for the big reveal and bellowed out in an announcer’s voice. “None other than The Ice Queen! And that’s where this comes to a close." Thoroughly irritated by her servants’ incompetence, Cinder gritted her teeth and dug her nails deeply into her chair, as Neptune mentally celebrated. BOOM! Neptune - 1, Neo - ...about a million, but who was counting! Now for the icing on the cake. "Hive and The Council both want the Xiao Long-Rose sisters. Now, who do you think is closer to having a way in?"

"Neptune," Cinder’s voice masked her anger with its calmness. Though she was known for senseless bloodshed, she was not an entirely unreasonable woman. She would not shoot the messenger; after all, he was not the one at fault. His mistress had simply been called to attention for doing the job assigned to her coven and he did his duty to defend her as her second-in-command. "I thank you for your honesty, knowing that failure is something frowned upon in this Council. Your Siress is lucky to have you as a Sireling. Tell the Duchess that while you could use some manners, she ought to produce more like you..." Her anger began to seethe from her eyes the longer she held it in. "We would like to see her soon to discuss what actions should be taken. Please find her and pass that along. You are dismissed... And now," Cinder’s eyes glowed dangerously at the two ingrates that shined the brightest among the many her coven had to offer. "A word with my sirelings."

The ornate stone doors scraped to a close with an otherworldly thud behind Neptune and he leaned his back against it, breathing out a sigh of relief. Phew, crisis averted! Never had standing in those chambers been so nerve-wracking. How did his mistress do it?! Luckily, Cinder and Ozpin had been the only key players in The Council to make an appearance today, with Neo, Torchwick, and himself being the only sirelings of the slightly lower Noble regard present.

Despite his utter dislike for Neo, he grimaced at the thought of how similar they were. Like Neo, he admired his Siress and would do anything to see to it that her goals were achieved, even if that meant throwing someone else under a metaphorical bus… or a real one. That worked too! Well, all that was left now was to get the hell out of dodge and find The Duchess, though he had an idea of where she would turn up. Pushing himself off the door, he tugged at the fingerless gloves strapped halfway up his forearm and began his venture to the outside world. He stepped out of the warehouse that masked the entrance to The Council's chambers and looked up into the stars. Oh, lovely. It was a lot later than he thought. He'd have to hurry to at least make it to Sun's safe house before dawn.

"You seem to be in quite a hurry there, young one!"

"AAAAAAH-gmmmf!!!!!!"

"Quiet now, boy!" The Council Elder muffled him with his hand. "I didn't even know you new bloods could be startled like that! You're usually so overconfident that it kills you!" The older man chuckled to himself.

"Errr, Elder Ozpin, what are you doing out here?"

"I grew bored of listening to Cinder scold her favorite little pawns," he lamented in an exasperated tone. "Enough with that! How are you faring, dear boy?"

"Uh, I'm... good?" This was so awkward. He spent so much of his human life fearing this man that he didn't know how to take it when he came off so kind-hearted. This man had killed so many humans, with the Xiao Long-Rose family being among them. Should he be suspicious? "I was going to find a safe house before daybreak?"

"No, no! How are you acclimating to life as a vampire?" Ah. That. "It can't be that easy, especially with you not ever having bitten anyone."

"It's been..." Hold on. Red flag! "Wait, what? Pshhh! No, I've bitten tons of people! Why, I just took out a busload of kids earlier!" Kids? Crap! He mentally kicked himself at his own stupidity. News of something like that **totally** wouldn't spread like wildfire.

"Busload of kids, eh?" Ozpin smiled at him knowingly. "If you're going to lie, you should be more convincing,” he used his cane to prop Neptune’s chin up and adjust his posture. “Confidence is key!... and the ability to choose more believable bluffs, like the Schnees. You should take note from them. Their entire history is nothing but elaborate lies. Young Weiss nearly went mad when she found out the truth. It was truly a pitiful sight." Eh? Weiss?

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Speaking of her," he dug into his pocket and fished out an envelope. "A gift! See to it that this she reads this. I know she's had enough of the games. It is now time for her to play her true role in all of this." He left the envelope in his hand and patted him on the shoulder before leaving. "Wish her well for me. I am proud of both of you for staying true to your convictions, but I am afraid that our time together will soon come to a close, though I pray it is only for a short time… Then again, even a century is but a blink of an eye to those like us,” he hummed thoughtfully before pepping up. “I must thank you though! Without you, our beloved Duchess would never have been able to become worthy to serve."

"Wait, you know-"

"Of course I do, boy,” the older vampire chided. “I handpicked her - though, in all fairness, I had planned to let her enjoy some of the finer things life had to offer. Unfortunately, fate had other plans… and I was having such a lovely lunch nearby."

"A lovely lun- Everything that happened with her was during daylight! Vampires can't be in sunlight! You'd have to either be a Circadian or The Origina..." Neptune's eyes grew wide and an amused smile graced the older vampire's lips, as he placed a single finger to them in a hushing manner.

"You might be on to something there." And with that, Ozpin walked away swinging his cane and whistling a cheery tune to himself.

**ooOOoo**

Okay, so it was understandable that this street didn't have UV lamps up yet - number one reason the quaint little home had been such an easy target for Cinder's people. While Weiss had figured Ironwood would have some sort of safety measure for the home his daughter lived in, she also figured law enforcement would have left the UV lighting on, after the fact. There were literally routine inspections twice a week to ensure all light fixtures were in working order and UV bulbs changed on a regular. It had become a federal mandate, but nooooooo!  Apparently, not when it came to the now-empty former Polendina residence.

Covered in police tape and smelling heavily of a musty iron, the home stood as the only unlit single family home on the street. Dark birds perched themselves ominously along the white picket fence that lined the property and cawed menacingly as she approached the gate that whined as the wind played with it. It was obvious that terrible things had happened here and a heavy sadness filled her heart as she neared the entrance. She could almost feel, see… hear the cries of the family as they were slaughtered one-by-one, begging their murderers not to take their daughter.

**FLAP!**

Startled, Weiss jumped as another large bird flapped past her, perching itself on a tree branch. Ignoring the barbaric bird, she could feel its blood-red eyes following her as she neared the front door. Now standing before the door dressed in slashed black and yellow tape, she noticed it was already slightly ajar. Someone had paid a visit since the attack, and for all she knew, they were still inside. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Weiss tried to open the door as silently as possible, but fate had other ideas. With a painful creak, the door moaned loudly and Weiss abandoned her attempt at stealth.

"I was just thinking what a poor master my mistress is!" Oh, it was just Neptune. "Leaving her most loyal servant waiting like this!"

 **"Only** servant," Weiss corrected him. "I hope you know there are no others planned."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he bowed in a playful manner. Though he meant what he said, he truly did enjoy teasing her and he knew she was aware. He felt it was his duty to force some of her aggravation out; otherwise, she'd just internalize everything.

"Do you ever plan on respecting me?"

"Eh," he shrugged. "You're late!"

"I didn't know I was meeting anyone," she stated flatly.

"For shame!" He exclaimed mockingly. "I come bearing news and this is how I'm treated! Well!" He eyed her and was rewarded with the familiar sight of blue eyes glaring daggers through him. "Nothing? Sheesh! It's a joke! Nah, I did some digging on that Polendina girl you’re looking for and found some other disappearances," Neptune said, absently rocking a cracked vase back-and-forth on a rickety end table. "I figured it would only be a matter of time before you came looking this way," he hesitated. "You're **really** not going to like any of this, especially with my sources.”

"So Junior wasn't just pulling my leg..." The gravity of the situation had just changed drastically. Neptune had just confirmed part of her worst fears. This meant she would soon come face-to-face with the woman she had been hunting for since the beginning, but was this a ploy to force her hand? Why hadn't she just found time to capture Ruby? Why go for Penny? Just what was her plan! And why the hell was he playing with that ceramic?! “Would you stop that?!”

"Sheesh!” He removed his hand from the vase. The grinding sound had apparently plucked Weiss’ last nerve. He had forgotten that the hollow nature of those things actually served to amplify the grinding sound when they shook around. “Look, I know this probably isn't the best time for this, but before we get to the stuff with the girl, I spoke with Blake." Weiss shot him an icy glare and he raised his hands in submission.

"Neptune..." Blake really wasn't of any concern right now. It really wasn't the time for this.

"Hey, I didn't tell her I've seen you! Calm down! She hit me with some stuff you need to be aware of! It's just... aaaaah, how do I say this?..." He scratched his head, hoping maybe his nails would open some sort of gateway to bleed out words that formed sentences. "Errr, it’s about Xiao Long..."

"Yes, Ruby's sister – your old partner..." He now had her undivided attention. "What about her?"

"Weeeellllllll, this goes from bad to worse very quickly," he danced around the subject and averted his eyes. "Xiao Long was in the hospital after a Transit ambush, right?" Weiss nodded affirmatively. "Yatsuhashi was the only one present, right? The three-man unit that aided them vanished before she could even be processed?"

"Get to your point, Neptune..."

"It was the rest of your team. Blake, May, and Reese aided in fighting off the attackers..."

"That can't be all," Weiss eyed him suspiciously. He looked like he was really trying to avoid this news. "Them being seen by someone who falsely IDs them as a merc outfit can't be news. What else?" Her tone was firm and straight to the point.

"Blake was able to confirm the White Fang's leader on location, as well as an Elder-level vampire."

"This isn't news, Neptune. The White Fang aids The Council as per stipulations of their alliance."

"It's not a Council Elder... It's an Anomaly..." Her eyes widened. The fact he was so hesitant told her everything she needed to know. "Adam was sighted wearing an Elder's cloak! That means he was out collecting for **her** , Weiss! Blake said she wasn't sure, at first, but a spiked wall and cage of ice were cast from an Elder sighted in the distance." Weiss gritted her teeth and turned away for a moment. "I know you don't want to hear this, but the Ice Queen is the only one known for using ice properties... and from Blake's report, she's consumed enough to lend Adam an army of Beowolf and Ursa and **still** spare enough power to allow him to produce Taijitu class Grimm. She has to be stopped, and soon, Weiss!"

"I'm not ready yet."

"Look, Weiss, I know she's your sister, but things are just going to keep getting worse if this goes unresolved. The Schnee are trying their best to cover up her existence, but she's partnered with the White Fang as a result of negligence on all sides. I know you were hoping we could snag her and get her acclimated with Hive's ways, but the Schnee **will not** let her live if they find her and now The Council is looking to put her down.“ Her eyes widened and she spun around.

"What do you mean?!" He twiddled his fingers for a moment and looked away. Oh, how he hated being the bearer of bad news when it came to her.

"Yeeeah, you know how I said _bad to worse_?” Weiss wiped a hand down her face and took a moment to herself.

"How can this possibly get any worse?... What happened?"

"Well, turns out she stepped on some toes with the Fire Empress' coven and they're out for blood... and that ties in with the Polendina girl you're looking for." He took a breath to prepare for the frustration that lay ahead. "Neo and Torchwick came here to snatch Miss Rose. Obviously, Miss Rose wasn't here, so they decided to slaughter the family. Not so fortunately, it turns out Adam and our friendly neighborhood Ice Queen decided to take her for themselves. Cinder's not happy about the mess they left and she's looking to tie up loose ends. **No one** crosses the Fire Empress, at least, that's what she likes to think."

"So, essentially, I have to worry about Adam and Winter working together, while avoiding Cinder's people, on top of the everything else that I'm doing?" Weiss rubbed her temples. "I've had a long week... I'm going to go to sleep... and then I'm going to deal with everything in the morning. Is that all, Neptune?" She glanced at the boy that served her and rolled her eyes. He was cringing and had shrunk inward in a turtle-like manner. "What..."

"Heheheh," he laughed weakly and held up a finger timidly. "Can we back up to Blake again real quick? This is super important and then I have two last things for you that you can push off for later."

"Sure! I've **always** wanted to know what an aneurysm feels like!"

"Really?" He was met with a sharp look. "Nevermind... Blake said that Xiao Long initiated the activation of the Heaven's Light she inherited from the Burning Priest. According to her, triggering it appeared to be intentional on Adam’s behalf. She got the feeling he was looking for Xiao Long, specifically, and is attempting to acquire her. We have no idea what he could be planning for someone who harnesses Holy. It would do more harm to the White Fang than anything, but now that Blake has that information, it's-"

"Only a matter of time before the Hive Syndicate has eyes on both sisters... Who all was present?"

"Well, since Yatsu is also ours, none of Beacon's people… and if Adam is out for himself, then none of The Council's people. They didn't seem aware when I spoke to them earlier... Soooo," he dragged it out as he thought. "Just our people!"

"Okay, only my team and Yatsuhashi were there... If this is the case, Blake won't let much time slip by. Neptune, I need to ask you a really huge favor."

"I'm not gonna' like this, am I?" Two birds squabbled with each other, squawking as they fought over what was assumed to be a small rodent.

"Get me time," she sighed. "As a last resort, and only a last resort, you have permission to tell her you’ve seen me. I'm almost certain I can get both of them to come to Hive willingly. Ruby will be willing, as long as her sister is. She’ll be the challenge; however, Xiao Long appears to have taken quite a liking to Blake. She won’t stop talking about _the Faunus hottie with the whip_..." Neptune laughed at the description.

"Well, that's pretty specific, right there. I'd know who she's talking about immediately!"

"Looks like we'll be making big moves here soon."

"Yeah, and speaking of big moves, here." Weiss' eyes stuck to his hand, unsure of whether to take the item or not. "The envelope is from Ozpin. He said you'd know what to do when you got it. He also said that he hoped we wouldn't be enemies for too long and that he's proud of us... I...” Weiss had already been reading over a letter in the envelope, though something was still in it. “Didn't know that you knew Ozpin on that level."

"... Ozpin and I are... connected…" She hesitated for a moment. "One day, Neptune, I'll be able to tell you everything. The evil that we spent so many years of our lives learning to fight is so much darker than you can imagine... Ozpin once told me that the Children of the Night, as well as the Children of Light, are all byproducts of the same darkness - an evil whose power he once borrowed and unknowingly cursed us all with.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Only as I have asked. Things will get messy soon. With the activation of Heaven’s Light, it’s only a matter of time before The Council attempts to acquire the sisters. I imagine it’s only a matter of time before Ruby blossoms too. I’m positive the Schnee will make efforts to tighten security around her once they learn of Xiao Long’s Awakening. I’ve already sighted Mercury nearby, and where Mercury is, Emerald isn’t far behind. Xiao Long is aware of his presence, so I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before my father knows.” Neptune eyes widened. It would be a disaster if Jacques discovered his youngest daughter’s sudden reappearance so soon, especially… looking not-as-dead-as-she-once-was… “Holy emits a very unique aura that can be tracked almost anywhere. The fact that it has lain dormant within them for so long is the only reason they’ve been allowed as many freedoms as they have.”

“Well, what about you? What are you going to do?” Weiss turned the large yellow envelope upside down and emptied the contents. As the beautifully carved ivory piece fell into her hands, a loud flutter snapped Neptune from his trance. He peered out the window to shoo the birds away, but found them to be absent. Obnoxious things. Why was it that the wretched things always followed the scent of death? He turned back to Weiss and recognized the item she had received immediately. Inspecting the piece, she held up the butterfly-shaped mask that was unique to her identity. This piece of carved bone was the only means with which she allowed The Council to identify her.

“It seems The Duchess will soon outlive her usefulness.” She placed it back into the envelope. Honestly, she preferred not to keep it on her person. It felt like wearing a giant target when she was cloaked, but Ozpin insisted. “Ozpin desires my presence, as you said, but our services to The Council will be coming to a close. We will have to do this very carefully. The sisters must be relocated before things get out of hand… As for Hive, there are still the Peace Talks to supervise.”

“Ah, I heard a meeting was arranged with the Schnee to discuss an alliance. I’m sure that would work out much better than the ceasefire they had arranged with The Council.” He immediately cowered as Weiss’ eyes burned a bright crimson. “Sorry! I didn’t mean it that way! I just know Blake is wracking her brain over it and that’s why she’s out looking for you. Things could go very badly without you and we can’t afford any more losses at this point. **Glynda** is going for Christ’s Sake! She’s an Elder with a huge price on her head in both the vampire and human worlds! How do you think they’re going to react to that?!” Weiss exhaled loudly and pinched the bridge of her nose, rubbing in an attempt to sooth her frustration.

“Well, how do you think they’d react to me?!” She bit back. “…I’ll come up with something and be in touch soon. Just contact Blake for me and I will keep things in control from the inside.” She started to venture toward the door and beckoned Neptune to follow. Scanning the yard, she noticed the black birds had vanished, leaving only a few feathers behind. Leaning over, she picked up a single feather and twirled in between her. “Interesting.” Weiss looked back to her sireling and waved to him as he turned to depart. “Neptune, thank you for what you’re doing.”

“Not a problem, princess,” he smiled genuinely. “You gave me a second chance to do things the right way. It just sucks that we’re supposed to be the evil ones haha! I’ll catch you around, boss lady!” He saluted her with a two-fingered wave and jumped off into the night… Oi, that guy was such a handful. At least, he was loyal.

**ooOOoo**

The wooden floorboards of Ruby’s bedroom floor creaked as she paced back and forth across her room. Yang had come home the night before, but Weiss had been nowhere to be found, and honestly, she was worried. The red-head had gotten accustomed to Weiss walking her to school in the morning, and much to her dismay, her so-called “guardian” hadn’t even bothered to call. Instead, Yang had walked her to the bus to make sure that Mercury guy didn’t pop up again. If she was this “Circle Haven” thing he mentioned, Yang was really worried. Even Professors Oobleck and Port had no idea what it was, so Ruby decided to save it for Ironwood when she saw him tomorrow. Speaking of which, Jaune had wanted her to do something with him after school. Dang, she wished Weiss was here right now.

As if to answer her worries, a door downstairs opened and shut with a familiarly heavy thud. Filled with hope, Ruby swung her door open and slid across the floor, running down the upstairs hallway to the stairs. Standing at the top of the stairs, she looked down and caught sight of Weiss, who had been slipping her boots off. Stiffening at the younger girl’s presence, the ex-Elite locked eyes with her and time froze for Ruby. Ruby glanced at the stairs before taking one step down… then another… and another and then she burst into an almost run down the stairs, leaping toward Weiss from the last two steps. Seeing that Ruby wouldn’t quite make it, Weiss rushed forward to catch her and stumbled backwards, only to be saved from a terrible fall by the door.

“Oh my God, I missed you and thought you got hurt or something. You disappeared yesterday and you never even called and I was so worried and then Yang came home without you and she wouldn’t say anything and then you weren’t here when I woke up and she walked me to the bus and then you still weren’t here when I got home and and and… Where were you?!” Weiss blinked, unable to process that run-on of a sentence the girl just vomited at her. What the hell?!

“Um… what?” She was still at a loss for words. “I have no idea what you said, but I’m just assuming it translates to you being upset with me.” She was still partially in shock from the sudden word assault.

“You’re darn right I’m upset! Why didn’t you come home?” Ruby buried herself into Weiss’ neck. “It was just me and Yang, but Yang’s mostly been asleep, so I’ve been alone… Everyone else is on duty…” Oh… It hadn’t occurred to her that Ruby would be alone. With all of Ruby’s friends coming over to check on her sister, she had assumed it would be like that a lot. She hadn’t expected this was her friends’ week of duty. Weiss chuckled lightly into Ruby’s hair and enveloped the girl in a warm hug. Now feeling safe and secure, Ruby relaxed into her body. “You disappeared and you didn’t come back… Just like everyone else. Just like Dad, just like our moms, like Pyrrha, Penny, her family… so many of our friends… and we’re never sure if Uncle Qrow is okay…”

“Shhhh, I’m here now. Everything is fine,” Weiss rubbed the small of Ruby’s back and let her savor the moment just a bit longer. “It’s kinda’ late though. Yang is asleep?” Ruby nodded into the crook of Weiss’ neck. “You should be too.”

“But-“

“Ah ah! None of that! Let’s get you to bed!” Ruby’s grip tightened against the back of Weiss’ jacket, causing her to smile fondly. “C’mon.” Her grip stayed tight in protest and Weiss grinned with an idea. Two could play at that game! Letting out a small squeak, Ruby was swept off her feet and carried up the stairs bridal style. Weiss pushed Ruby’s bedroom door open with her foot and placed her on the bed gently, though the seemingly fragile girl still clung to her. “C’mon, Ruby, you have to let go.”

“No.” Well, that was unexpected. “You’ll just leave again.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll wake you up bright and early in the morning and I’ll be downstairs on the couch, if you need me tonight.” She just wasn’t letting go. If anything, she had now switched to wrapping her arms tightly around Weiss’ neck. “This is really uncomfortable.” Ruby let out a grunt in protest to her request to be let go. It simply just wasn’t going to happen. “After everything I’ve had to deal with since last night, I’m really tired and I kinda’ wanna’ get some sleep, Ruby.”

“…in sheep ear…”

“What?!” Face still buried, the redhead’s voice had come out extremely muffled and Weiss couldn’t understand her. The ivory girl tried to pull away to hear her voice more clearly, but as she lifted herself up, Ruby pulled her down with one hard tug. Struggling to get free, Weiss eventually gave up and just relaxed on the bed. It was clear the younger girl had no intention of letting her escape, so she might as well go with it.

“Then sleep here.” It wasn’t a request. It was more of an order. “No couch. Stay here.”

“But the couch is more comfortable than the floor.” With that, Ruby fell into a laughing fit and finally let go, though it was only to try to contain herself.

“Not the floor, silly!” She wiped her eyes. “Here! With me!” She smiled brightly at the more lightly colored girl, who turned a vibrant shade of red. Sleeping in Ruby’s bed the first night had been one thing. She had been drained and mostly too unaware to realize she was in Ruby’s bed and Ruby had slept in Yang’s room that night. This was **totally** different!

“Th-th-th-that’s a baaaad idea!” Weiss tried to roll off the bed, but found herself the victim of another Ruby Trap. Again, Weiss found herself being pinned and straddled by the younger girl. How the hell did she wind up in these kinds of scenarios with her? Just about an hour ago, she was ordering Neptune around and now she was being man-handled by maybe 90 lbs of, technically, untrained civilian.

“But I don’t wanna’ be alone!” She whined playfully, leaning over to press her hands into the pillows. “Besides, I haven’t seen you at allllll,” she pouted. “Pleeeease?” It wasn’t that she wanted to avoid Ruby. It was just… Weiss remembered what happened the last time they were this close.

“But…“ Cue the innocent stare. God dammit. “Ugh, fine… If it makes you happy.”

“Yes!” Ruby sat up and pumped both her fists in the air in triumph, allowing Weiss to prop herself up. “Ummm, I guess you need to change clothes.” Ruby slid off the bed and half-skipped over to her dresser to begin picking things out that she thought would fit her. As she sorted through them, Weiss observed her fondly. It was sort of endearing to watch her sifted through her drawers - a bright smile gracing her lips when she thought it suited Weiss and then the way her face would scrunch when she decided it wouldn’t. She shook her head and decided to be at least a little useful. With a creak from the bed, Weiss got up and shut the door quietly, though it still earned Ruby’s attention. “Oh, you didn’t need to do that, but thank you!” Still full of so much energy, the younger girl bounded over to her with a pair clothes. “Here!”

“Um, thanks.” Weiss stepped over to the dresser and began to remove her clothing. Realizing what was going on, Ruby was suddenly overcome with a very nervous feeling and turned around, deciding that maybe she could just pull the covers over so they could slip in. A light rustle came from behind her, making Ruby blush brighter as each article of clothing fell to the floor. Curiosity getting the best of her, she peeked over her shoulder, first catching a glimpse of Weiss’ panties resting on the curves of her hips. A white article fell onto the pile and she realized it had been the ivory girl’s bra. Venturing upward, she confirmed this as her eyes were greeted by well-defined shoulder blades. Weiss pulled her hair tie and her long white tresses fell, covering the smooth porcelain skin she had been admiring. Deciding it was dangerous to keep staring, Ruby preoccupied herself with the blankets.

Clothed once more, Weiss finished adjusting the pajama pants Ruby had given her. She turned around to tell Ruby she was ready, but instead stood there, admiring the girl for one last moment. Seeing her smoothing out the pillows was somehow endearing, as pointless as it was. Electing to surprise her, Weiss walked over silently, wrapping an arm around Ruby as she reached to turn off the lamp with the other. Successfully surprised, Ruby tried to spin around, but Weiss placed her free arm on her hip and stopped her. Giving in to the embrace, Ruby relaxed where she stood and let herself be drawn into the warm body behind her. Two arms wrapped around her waist just tight enough to suggest Weiss didn’t want her to move, yet loose enough to allow her the freedom to move should she choose. Weiss’ forehead pressed between her shoulder blades and Ruby clasped her hands over the older girl’s.

“You know, the big spoon doesn’t really suit you.” Ruby teased softly and Weiss hummed back contentedly. This was intoxicatingly pleasant and she really didn’t want to move.

“No, it totally does,” she laughed through her words and let Ruby finally turn around. “…What?” Ruby had an almost mesmerized look to her eyes and Weiss felt herself falter under those silver eyes.

“Like I thought, you’re really pretty with your hair down.” Ruby’s heart was slamming against her chest so hard she thought Weiss would be able to hear each beat. She was also pretty certain she was glowing brightly enough to light up the sky. There was a moment of silence between the girls and the arms around her waist faintly traced her sides before their presence vanished. Trembling, she opened her mouth to utter a nervous apology, but instead fingers lightly trailed up both sides of her neck, framing her cheeks, and tilting her head down so that a soft pair of lips lightly brushed against the tip of her nose.

Eyes wide open, Ruby’s head tilted so their eyes met. Those hands traveled from her neck down to her shoulders and eased her down to sit on the bed. As if it were the most natural things, Weiss climbed over Ruby, blue crystal orbs drowning in those silver pools. She inched closer and her fingers ghosted across Ruby’s cheek, tracing her jawline. Ruby’s breath caught in her chest, threatening to escape only if her heart burst from the cage her ribs created. Weiss planted an arm firmly beside Ruby and shifted her weight onto it, bringing her other hand to stop, cupping her by her cheek and resting her thumb just at her lip line. For a moment, she shifted her gaze from Ruby’s eyes to her lips and then back, silently asking for permission. Ruby lightly traced her fingers along the hand that cradled her cheek and smiled gently at Weiss, who returned the gesture. Locking fingers, Weiss pressed forward, lips shyly brushing against one another. They brushed together once more and lingered for a moment, the kiss still maintaining its innocence.

As they continued, they lost their sense of nervousness, becoming more confident and adventurous. Smiling into the kiss, Weiss took Ruby’s lip in between her teeth and they giggled at one another. Not to be outdone, Ruby gave her the same treatment, lifting herself upward and flipping Weiss onto her back. Aaaaand, back to square one. Ruby grinned playfully, knowing that she was back in control. Then again, that’s what Weiss let her think. She’d always be in control, but she’d let Ruby have her fun too. Ruby leaned down to continue where they left off, but something about the atmosphere changed between them.

They could see it in each other’s eyes and they weren’t sure who started it. Their lips touched once more and Weiss flicked Ruby’s lip with the tip of her tongue and Ruby responded like-wise, moaning into the action. Tongues darted past one another, wrestling for dominance, and Ruby felt herself being pulled into Weiss. The playfulness was now replaced by a wild, burning sensation that ached deep within her and her body was on fire. Her hips bucked and Weiss responded in kind, grasping at her thighs to close the distance. The playful kissing was replaced by nibbles down Ruby’s neck, some harder than others - the giggles replaced by heavy panting and moans that beckoned for more. As far as she cared, she was Weiss’ and didn’t mind being claimed… but as quickly as it had begun, it had ended.

“We should stop…” Weiss leaned her head against Ruby’s chest. She had been the one to decide that this was far enough. “We don’t want to do anything we’ll regret.”

“I won’t,” Ruby said listlessly, still drunk from the passion.

“You say that now, but there’s still so much you don’t know about me.”

“I can if you let me.”

“…Not now, Ruby… I will once things are more certain…” Weiss snuggled into her. “And if you still feel the same, then maybe we can do this right, but not now. I just don’t want to hurt you and you need to hear these things from me first… but I need you to trust me for now.”

“I do.”

“No, you’ll be afraid. You’ll push me away. You won’t know what to think. The things I have to do. The things I **will** do… but what I can tell you is this: I may have found Penny, but it’s going to be really hard for me to get her back. Maybe even impossible… but I have to get her. Not just for you, but everyone… Especially because we need Jim…”

“Think what you want about yourself, but I trust that you’re on the right side, doing the right thing, Weiss. You’ll find Penny and help everyone - no matter what.” Ruby snuggled into her. She was kind of let down from the lack of release, but at the same time, the rush caught up to her and she was exhausted.

“I hope so…”

“Hey Weiss,” Ruby relished herself in the contact. Maybe Weiss was right: She could pull off the big spoon. “We should do this more.” Weiss blushed brightly at the meaning behind that statement. This was going to be a really long week.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: You’ll notice I did a disclaimer for this chapter to warn you of content. I’m going to be doing that when I feel necessary. As a forewarning, the next chapter will have a disclaimer as well. It discusses how Neptune became a vampire and it’s not pretty at all. It may be a bit sensitive to some readers. Though I know there are many pieces of literature out there that are far more descriptive, I feel it is fitting. This warning is for both violence and a very strong description of feeling yourself dying.
> 
> Mikodz: I'm glad you're still giving this story a chance! TBH, typical vamp stories have been bothering me, but I like to think of this as a different sort of fantasy type deal that just happens to have vampires. I could probably just as easily given them a completely different label as a completely different creature, but I admit that I'm lazy as hell and didn't feel like creating an entire lore and went with something pre-established that I can alter as I please >.> ... so, in other words... lazy af... However, thank you for the compliment! I lack a lot of confidence in my writing.
> 
> Emiliano: Thank you! I hope that I'm able to keep everything going and not confuse readers. It's gonna' get a bit hectic in a bit before things start getting explained.


	10. Neptune

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This chapter is fairly short, only because it is meant to provide information, as well as I guess a flashback type deal. I don’t want to throw way too much out there with this chapter, but it’s been a bit since I’ve done one of these background chapters. In the story portion of this chapter, you will meet The Duchess and get some background on Neptune. Well, have fun! Oh yeah, here’s that disclaimer I talked about.
> 
> WARNING (GRAPHIC CONTENT): The second half of this chapter is a bit graphic in the violence department. For those sensitive to violence or easily disturbed by demented personalities, please read with caution.

 

_In ancient times, Elders were thought of merely as evolved creatures of darkness that had little in common; or at least, there was little regard for similarities to one another. Identifying characteristics lay only in the one thing an Elder prided themselves in: their Darkforge cloaks._

_While seniority was highly regarded, skill was determined by how well an Elder’s cloak was kept and only the most well-kept were deemed worthy of leadership. It became symbolic of their personality – a tightly contained one suggesting patience and control, while a ragged appearance suggested a rash temper and untamed power. Elders believed that their cloaks should be smooth and elegant enough to allow them to meld seamlessly with the shadows, though they should be as deadly as the nights in which they prowled. Initially, humans thought them to be angered Wraiths driven by bloodlust; however, it was soon discovered that beneath the veils were very real and very human-looking vessels._

_Mimicking human mannerisms, these so-called Wraith-like beings infiltrated human settlements undetected, revealing themselves when they were sure it would do the most damage. In some cases, they found themselves a happy medium between providing services to humans and feeding on them, leaving behind once-human abominations that sought blood. Many of these poor souls were put down but it wasn’t long until these victims began to regain their sanity and take on the traits of their masters._

_The first stage of vampirism took place in two different ways, depending on how they were turned. In some cases, the individual sustained life-threatening injuries that rendered them unconscious and virtually lifeless. Within a few days time, they would reanimate and begin a rampage, feeding on anyone they passed. In other cases, victims survived a bite and slowly began the change as they lived their lives. Because the change was triggered by a bite, both vampirism and were-kinship were thought of as venoms that triggered very slow and painful mutations within the individual._

_Darkforge integrated with the bodies of Were-beasts on a genetic level and enabled them to produce it within themselves. It lay dormant within their human side during hours of light, protecting from burning away like the vampires. While dormant, this trait granted their human bodies almost-immediate regenerative capabilities, as well as increased strength and senses. Unfortunately, when compared to their counterparts, they had no capacity to release Darkforge and could only reap physical benefits; however, they became resistant to its influence from the outside sources. The inside was a different story._

_At night, Darkforge became more potent within them. It ransacked their bodies, physically altering them into beastly amalgamations. Initially, it would trigger an unstoppable change, but an experienced were-beast could hold the beast at bay. As for those who could not, the Darkforge caused them to lose their humanity and revert to animalistic instincts when they changed, but all was not lost. With the aid of skilled handlers, they could train themselves to resist and tame their beast. However, even the best could not conquer the effects of a full moon in totality. This particular moon forced the change but an experienced were-creature could maintain control over their beast. As flawed as it was, it was still preferable to the flaws of vampirism._

_Where the Darkforge in Were-beasts lay dormant during the hours of light, vampires were not so lucky. They had to learn to produce and store it, much in the way that human Elites stored Lightforge. Without it, the change left them defenseless, starving and feverishly anemic. Instinct pushing reason aside, new sirelings would resort to desperate attempts at replenishing themselves through the consumption of human lifeforce and unfortunately… it worked. This was when The Council made itself known._

_Those that survived the change and regained their ability to reason were located by delegates of The Council. They would then be observed and sorted into the coven whose traits they began to manifest. The leaders of these covens took their places in The Council, leading the vampire scourge against the humans._

_From time to time, one of these sirelings would grow out of their coven’s traits and become something entirely new. Sometimes, there were also wanderers from different countries or those who developed outside the reach of the covens. They were labeled Anomalies by the humans and coveted by The Council. Those in The Council’s possession were tested to determine their worth and each Anomaly would be given a list of requirements to fulfill before being granted the right to form its own coven within The Council’s territories. With this in mind, it could be said each member of The Council would have once been considered an Anomaly, but that time has long since passed._

****Two Years Ago****

"So, Ozpin's newest sireling wishes to become one of The Council? Hah!” Torchwick laughed loudly. "Don't make me laugh!" Before him stood a woman, patient and silent, with darkness proudly hugged tightly against her form. "She's a baby compared to the rest of us!"

"Control yourself, Roman," Cinder silenced her servant’s dismissal of the youngling that stood at attention. "While Roman brings up a good point, I am intrigued by this request. It is law that a sireling is not permitted to request such a thing without their Sire's permission. I am to understand that Ozpin has given you his blessing?" The figure nodded. "Then, as Ozpin's most trusted confidant, what say you, Glynda?"

"I do believe that Duchess is prepared. Ozpin has sired many worthy children over the years; all who have done great deeds for The Council. As of now, only I have ever taken my place in The Council as a Coven Mistress. It is only proper that another of Ozpin’s children join us."

"Your little Duchess hasn't even sired one of her own, let alone bitten anyone or even shown promise of power.” Roman hissed through clenched teeth. “How could she even stand against a Noble, like myself?"

"Would you care to test your strength against one of Ozpin's own, Roman?" The younger vampires certainly got on Glynda's nerves, with Cinder's coven having most of them. They were so arrogant that she would never understand what that woman found so appealing about them.

"If she sires someone, I'll consider giving her a vote," he brushed the ordeal off.

"It's settled then,” Cinder spoke with a menacing smile. “Have her bring back a sireling and we will discuss this further. She has certainly done much for us, but she will be in need of an assistant, as she has been for Ozpin. What good is an Elder who cannot call upon her familiars?"

"I see no reason to force her to feed if she is not read-" The shadow-clad girl lifted her hand and spoke.

"If it pleases my council and earns my place amongst you, I will do as you ask," the young woman's voice was resolute. "I will return as soon as I deem someone worthy." Her eyes found Roman's. "As for you, I cannot be like you. You sire as you please. While you have a great many in number, you have few who are worthy of your gifts. I prefer quality over quantity and I truly believe my gift to be something I would only grant to those who impress me, whereas others spread their power like a plague amongst the unworthy filth. As a vampire, you live frivolously and without standards. You are always on the Hunters’ radar, while my presence is yet to be discovered, even with all that I have done in the name of The Council." The mobster’s eyes flared with rage and flames danced over his shoulders, an appropriate display for someone who had inherited a derivative of Cinder’s powers. "Doesn't that just burn you up, Roman?" As her words ended, a huge pillar of flames launched from under her feet.

"I'd say I lit a fire up under her ass," he smiled smugly to himself, proud of his work. As a member of the Fire Empress’ coven, he had taken on a small portion of her ability to command flames, though he developed a far more explosive nature. Though it was never an exact duplicate, this was how it was with all covens – simple derivatives of their master’s powers. He admired his work for a moment longer before his smile fell and twisted in disgust.

Darkness boiled over the top of the flaming pillar, spilling down its sides and coating the flames like an inky black ooze. The flames began to smother themselves under the ooze and shrunk within the coating, reforming into a bubbling humanoid form. The darkness resettled into a hissing and steaming version of its former self and two red eyes peered out. The newly reformed Duchess covered her mouth and let out a small hiccup before smoke billowed from her mouth. Now intrigued with the Duchess, Cinder smiled with earnest.

"I look forward to your return, youngling. Do us proud and you may well earn your place in this circle."

**ooOOoo  ----VIOLENCE ENSUES ----**

"Are you sure that you want to do this? You don't need to feed; not while we've had extreme success with the serum."

"I'm aware of that, Glynda, but Ozpin needs this. **I** need to do this." The Duchess was adamant about her decision and Glynda pressed her lips together. There was simply no need, but once this girl’s mind was made up, it was difficult to change. She just wished she didn’t have to walk down this road. "I won't pick just anyone though. I will only do one but they **will** be a fighter… all the way until the end."

BOOM!

"Oh dear," Glynda looked into the distance. With dawn setting, it was only natural that a raid of some sort had begun. However, judging from the direction of the explosion, there weren't any known safe houses in the vicinity - which meant... White Fang?

"Do you want to check it out, Glynda?"

"Do I have an option or are you simply letting me know what you're doing?"

"Both! You can stay behind if you want to!" With that, her charge took off to find a good location to observe from. Glynda sighed and took her time heading to the site. If anything, she would hurry if she was needed.

On arrival, Duchess scoped out an excellent vantage point for simple observation. Concealed by its lush foliage, a nearby tree had provided her with enough cover to remain unseen. From here, she could tell it was an old air hangar that was once heavily used in human wars, but now it had been reduced to a weapons cache. The air was heavy with the smell of gunpowder, blood… and the scent of Faunus. Wonderful.

 Several bodies were strewn across broken concrete slabs, some in pieces, and some sticking out from the upturned vehicles that had ultimately crushed them as they tried desperately to pull themselves to freedom. Whatever teams had been here had met with an unfortunate end running into the White Fang. Heavy footsteps echoed from the hangar, followed by the snickers of men laughing as a young man fled from the building, screaming for help. A single gunshot rang out and he flew forward, cradling his leg as he crashed to the ground and screamed in pain. Crying for help, he struggled to scramble away and for a moment she felt sorry for him, but it was better that he die now than later when someone was depending on him.

Grinning at their helpless prey, the Faunus men raised their weapons and opened fire on the poor boy. She looked away and cringed with the thud of every bullet that embedded itself with in his lanky body - each one eating away at his features until there was nothing left but an indiscernible, bloody pulp. Limbs jerking involuntarily as his pursuers riddled his body full of lead; his body skidded across the ground with the splashing and sickening squelches of each bullet. Leaving a trail of blood and tissue behind him, his body danced across the ground before finally coming to a lifeless rest against an upturned SUV.

Listening to these Faunus men laugh, her knuckles went white with anger as she clenched her fists... or at least they would have if she hadn’t been cloaked. This level of cruelty was so unnecessary. At this point, this was simply cruelty for the sake of being cruel. That young man had been dead after the second shot. Why the senseless violence? What had he done to deserve this?!

"Hey, Boss! Look at this!" One of the Faunus reached into the vehicle the boy lay dead against. Duchess could make out what looked to be a struggle before the Faunus dragged a different boy out of the vehicle by his long azure hair. Why did he look so familiar? "Damn shame I'm outta' bullets! Guess I'll have to do this the old fashioned way!" He dropped the boy next to his fallen comrade and the boy struggled to stand but froze at the sight of his friend.

"You monster! I'll kill you!" That was all the boy managed to get out before he lunged into the butt end of an assault rifle. In a disoriented haze, he lay in the growing pool of his friend's blood, barely able to make sense of his surroundings. He slowly dragged himself to the vehicle he had been in and grabbed something large before leaning his back against the SUV. With a primal scream, he took aim and opened fire on the Faunus. For a moment, the Faunus stood there and then turned to the boy and laughed.

"Lightforge bullets? Hah! Maybe if those had been silver nitrates! Give me that!" He snatched the gun from the boy and fired a bullet into each of his legs and his left shoulder, relishing in his cries of pain in between. As he took aim for the right shoulder, a red-haired bull Faunus appeared, lugging two giant suitcases with him and threw them into a vehicle.

"Stop playing with him. Finish this and return to headquarters before the bloodsuckers come out." Never once looking at the boy, Adam hopped into the back of the vehicle and smacked it hard twice. "Take the bike back."

"Sure thing," he called back as the distance grew between them. "It’s just us now, blueberry! What ever will I do with you! Eh, what's this?" He ticked something and the gun morphed itself into a giant trident. "Now **this** looks fun! I wonder if you’re just as juicy as your friend!" Grip fixed on the pole arm; he drew his arm back and thrust it into the boy's stomach, wiggling it inside of him, milking him for all the screams he was worth. “It’s like music to my ears, son! Sing for me once more!” He twisted it, barely making out the squelch of the blade over his screams. With another grin, he withdrew the weapon and prepared for a final thrust into the boy's chest. "Alright! Time for the money shot, kid!" The boy shut his eyes and only heard the clang of metal hitting the ground next to him. When he opened them again, the Faunus was standing in shock at the sight of an Elder encased in a tattered black cloak that flowed through the air in an almost ethereal fashion. "What the fuck is an Elder doing here?!"

"Funny, I seem to recall your boss telling you to return to HQ before us **bloodsuckers** come out," her voice came out in a low hiss. She looked at the body riddled with bullet holes and then to the boy struggling to hold on to his life. For a moment, he even thought he may have seen a flash of sympathy in her eyes, but any traces of remorse disappeared when her gaze returned to the Faunus. Recognition in his eyes, the Faunus looked just past her and sighed in relief.

"Oh! I know you two! The Duchess and Glynda! You're Ozpin's new servant! Oh, man! I was worried there for a second! You’re cloak’s not exactly the portrait of elegance and control everyone paints, haha!" In lieu of his quips, Duchess narrowed her eyes at him as he wiped his brow. He was rather cheeky. "Listen, I’ll let it slide as you telling me to get things done faster this time, but I almost thought you felt sorry for this blood bag."

"What do you plan to do with him?" The trident gleamed in the sunset’s fading light. That weapon was definitely familiar. He was someone's partner that she knew. She had even spoken with him on a few occasions.

“ _My partner has the gayest weapon. It's gonna' get him killed one of these days, but he insists cuz it's "cool". Rubes could totally help him make one **just** as “cool” and waaaay more efficient.” _ Ah, long blue hair, a surfer's tan, lame goggles - this kid had been the butt of a lot of jokes due to his beach-like appearance and crippling fear of water… He was the oaf's partner – a discovery she had made when overhearing the blonde teasing with Pyrrha about him once or twice. She wouldn't take this well. This kid had been like a brother to her.

"Oh, this guy? I'ma play with him a bit more. You know, break his spirit before he dies. I haven't had this much fun in a while!"

"Do as you please," Glynda's voice came out bitterly. The boy's eyes went wide and he struggled a bit more.

"Well, thanks for your permission doll-face, but I don't recall asking! Hah!"

"I wasn't speaking to you," Glynda stated curtly. "Followers of Ozpin do not believe in torture or the prolonging of one’s death. Humans are a food source to us, but they are living things and deserve to be respected as such. We were **all** human once. We feared failure, death, non-existence, **the change**... We even feared fear itself. In ending life, we sustain life, and as with all things, death has its ugliness. But as followers of Ozpin's coven, we have one rule sacred to us above all else."

"We only kill to maintain balance." A wet squish resounded through the air and the Elder impaled the Faunus through its chest with their hand. "But for something like you to exist, only to kill meaninglessly, that we cannot forgive." His body slumped over lifelessly and thick blood dripped from the sharp black talons that had formed from her hand.

"Classy..." Glynda said in an unimpressed tone.

"I was going for that _taking out the trash_ vibe. Sheesh!" Click. Duchess looked in the boy's direction at the sound of his gun being readied. "Don't be stupid." He opened fire on both women. If anything, he was taking at least one of them out with him. His clip emptied and both women stood there unscathed. How could that be? Why! How could he have been so useless to the cause? He had done so much to get to this level, only to be taken out so early on. No! He would fight until the en-. “For it is in passing that we all return to dust.” The Duchess had suddenly appeared at his side, kneeling beside him with far more human hands clasped in prayer. While she was still cloaked, she dispelled the darkness from her face.

This was nothing like the horribly disfigured monsters he had imagined lay beneath the darkness. There was no haggard witch beneath the veil – only someone who could easily have been his age when she had been turned. The red eyes that had peered from her cloak had swapped for baby blues, enhanced by her pale skin, powder white flowing locks, and soft features. If not for the Darkforge that cloaked her body, she could have easily passed for an angelic figure. She was so familiar...so young… so... pretty...

"What?" He breathed the word out heavily in disbelief. A hunter's prayer?

"Enough." A light pressure pushed the gun down to his chest. The dangerous presence this girl emitted earlier had dissipated with the Faunus' death. Instead, she seemed so gentle. "You don't have to fight anymore, Neptune." She brushed his long hair from his face and leaned in to kiss his forehead gently. No, he recognized this. This was how they comforted dying Hunters in their final moments. This couldn't be the end! He wasn't ready!

"Weiss, you should end this." Weiss?! Schnee?! She was alive?! No, she was one of them, but she had saved him!... Or had she? No, she was here in his final moments.

"Neptune Vesalius, you've served the Schnee well, and for that, I thank you." Eyes glistening, she reached for his hand. He shivered at the warmth that touched his now cooling skin. Heh, funny how he had always thought vampires would be cold to the touch, like death… or the corpse he would soon become. Yeah, that’s right – soon. Everything was so cold and the world was buzzing. Sound became muddled and warped, almost like someone was trying to talk to him through water.

With each passing second, the very world around him was becoming more and more blurry as the darkness began to close in around his vision like a tunnel. It was all coming to a close and his breath quickened at the thought of darkness. It terrified him straight through his core and ate away at his very being, consuming his sight, his mind, his consciousness. Very soon, it would consume his entire being and he found himself swallowed by the pit of fear that opened up within his stomach. Wait… did he even have one of those anymore? He would have checked, but the energy it would have taken was already lost to him…

He should never have taken this mission! He should have waited for the mission his partner had signed them both up for! At least, she had always had his back! This was all his fault. Somehow, he had found the strength to summon tears. Yang had been right. He should have changed weapons; should have talked to her sister; should have set aside his pride! He blinked the tears away. If only he hadn't tried so hard to make people see him.

"You no longer have to suffer." Through his blurred vision, he saw Weiss lift his weapon and he began to hyperventilate. He knew what came next. No! He refused! Summoning what little was left; he grabbed the arm that held his gun with every ounce of strength he could muster. Gritting his teeth and staring into those sapphire orbs, he prayed with everything he had that she would understand - what, in this moment, he wanted more than anything. Taking his hand, she dropped his gun and gave him a comforting smile.

"You will have your revenge."

**ooOOoo**

Two years ago, he lay on the ground in a pool concocted of his comrades' blood. Today, he stood in a room smeared with a family's blood – Polendina blood. Nervous of what was to come, he clenched the envelope tightly in his hand. Whatever it was, he served Weiss now, and he would continue to serve her well. She had given him a second chance to make a difference, much like she told him her sire had.

He brushed his empty hand through his short blue hair. That's right. It was short now. No wonder Yang hadn't quite recognized him. Nothing about him was the same. Even his style of dress was completely different; opting for what he thought would be formal enough to stand next to Weiss. He was no longer the sloppy surfer kid from back then; but no way in hell was he giving up the goggles, even if she hated them. At that moment, the front door creaked open and he turned to greet her.

"I was just thinking what a poor master my mistress is!" He grinned. "Leaving her most loyal servant waiting like this!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So, that’s that for this chapter. Back to that dark tone again. I thought it was a nice touch to have Neptune reflecting on the past while waiting for Weiss last chapter. This chapter and the last one could easily have been switch in order, but I felt it was more suspenseful this way. Anyway, we now have why Neptune is loyal to Weiss, as well as a few things being revealed about Weiss. I feel like I’m going to enjoy some of the thoughts on her, after this. I had hinted that Neptune was Yang’s partner before (reference to his weapon), but I decided to go ahead and confirm it here. I also wanted to cover why Yang wouldn’t have recognized him. His appearance and mannerisms are drastically different from his past self.


	11. On a Cold Winter's Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here are the next three chapters! I've had a lot going on recently but I think I'm coming out on top! I dunno. Things just seem so bright right now! Anyway, don't be afraid to leave comments. I'll try to interact with you guys more too!

  
Elegant drapery, uniformed wait staff, expensive ornaments meant to falsify grandeur; she had never cared much for these types of events, but for what it was, she supposed it wasn’t all bad. With the futures each student in attendance would soon face, the headmaster’s heart was in the right place. His motto was that they should enjoy what little time they had while they could and she had to give him that… but it had been so stuffy inside, which was why she had fled to the balcony.

  
With a swish of her champagne flute, she sipped the golden liquid down and chuckled. Well, maybe the old man did have some reservations about letting them live a little. Bubbly as it may be, sparkling cider wasn’t exactly celebratory champagne, but it was the thought that counted. Finishing the remaining liquid, Weiss could barely make out the red blur through her glass that plowed straight into her.

  
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!”

  
“Are you daft?! I was clearly standing in front of you! What sort of mongrel are y-…“ Tears welling in the offender’s big silvery eyes, Weiss froze in shock. Her anger dissipated, replacing itself with shame for her behavior. This wasn’t supposed to happen; not how they were supposed to meet. She reached toward her to apologize, but the girl misinterpreted her actions and fled in terror. Head hung in shame, Weiss Schnee had never felt so low.

  
“Hahaha! Well, that went swimmingly!” Of course, she was there to see this… “Hey, don’t worry about it, little sis! I hear Ruby Rose is easy to get along with! You’ll have no problem winning her trust back. I have faith in you!” An encouraging hand patted her shoulder. “I know you will!” Well, at least Winter believed in her, which was more than she could say for Jacques.

  
“That was incredibly embarrassing. I feel terrible. It’s my fault for having my head in the clouds.”

  
“You know, Weiss, from where I was standing, she wasn’t paying attention either. Father may say otherwise, but not everything is your fault. Either way, you should still apologize first. She’s fairly timid, so she’s very unlikely to seek you out to apologize. Plus, you were clearly the more hostile one.” With a mischievous look and equally dismissive shrug, Winter jabbed at whatever was left of her sister’s dignity with several metaphorical arrows. With Weiss recovering from the blows, Winter’s expression changed to one of fondness. Grasping Weiss’ arms, she adjusted her posture, lifted her head, and brushed her short wavy hair from her face. “You’ll both need each other one day. She’ll need your strength in order to become the savior that you will need when you become The Circadian, but you will also have to protect her because of that.”

  
“Father says that that is impossible.”

  
“Are you really going to listen to that old fool? He’s so stuck in his ways, but we know better! Don’t we?” Weiss nodded. As much as she teased her, Winter was a wonderful older sister. She always knew just what to say and when. The older girl wrapped her arms around her in a warm embrace as if it would be a long time before they would see each other again. “I love you, Weiss. No matter what anyone tells you, you will achieve great things and I will do everything in my power to see to it that you have a fair chance to prove yourself… No matter what the cost.”

  
“Winter, why are you crying?” With a sniffle, Winter wiped her tears away and laughed.

  
“No reason.” Weiss gave her a skeptical look. “I’m just so proud of my baby sister - standing here, soon to be a full-fledged Huntress, certain to change the world… Now, go find her and apologize!” The older sister swatted at Weiss’ behind and she fled inside before Winter concocted more embarrassing tortures. Weiss paused to flash a worried look back at her sister. Standing there with a sad smile, she was obviously lying, but there was no way Winter would talk about whatever it was during such a happy occasion as Beacon’s Holiday Dance. She would ask her later, when they both arrived home. Waving good bye, Winter turned and approached a blonde-haired vixen, who proceeded to drop her jaw and squeal in delight. Well, it was at least good to see her sister make Yang Xiao Long’s night.  
Despite her efforts, Weiss could find neither hide nor hair of Ruby. It was unfortunate that she couldn’t keep her word to Winter tonight, but she would definitely do it tomorrow! For now, she’d endeavor to at least talk to Winter about her strange behavior. A blonde boy with short hair and a girl with bright red hair done up in an extravagant bun approached her.

  
“It’s almost over, Weiss. Did you want to go now or wait a bit longer?” The boy asked with a huge smile.

  
“Oh, Jaune, Pyrrha! Did you two enjoy tonight?” She looked past them, observing her surroundings. It really was a shame that she didn’t catch Ruby, but Winter was nowhere to be found either. Knowing her, she probably went ahead since Weiss’ escorts were present.

  
“I guess they both left,” she sighed aloud. Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other, wondering what she was talking about.

“Boy troubles, Weiss?” Pyrrha asked humorously.

  
“Weiss Schnee? Boy troubles? Hah!” She put on false arrogance. “That’ll be the day! The only problem I have is shooing them away!” For a moment, Jaune looked like he had been stabbed in the heart. “No, it’s just that… I was rude to someone earlier and I wanted to apologize. I looked for her all night, but I couldn’t find her.”

  
“Oh, wow. It must have been bad if you want to apologize.” The red-head commented, making Weiss feel worse.

  
“Well, it’s not like we all don’t go to Beacon! She’ll definitely run into her at some point!” Jaune tried to cheer up the mood. Well, he wasn’t wrong. Weiss began to make her way toward the entrance to the banquet hall. It was best that she head home before it was too late. Sure, the UV lights in the city protected citizens from vampire attacks, but The White Fang were a completely different story… Which was why the Arc family had been specially assigned to guard the Schnee family.

  
Loyal as they were, werewolves like the Arcs formed tight-knit bonds with their Schnee masters and were never sighted far from them. Sadly, they often fell in love with their charge and Weiss just couldn’t return the feelings she knew he held for her. It was sort of an unspoken thing between them. She knew his feelings and he knew her answer.

  
“Well, I suppose we should hurry home,” Weiss stated.

  
“Yeah,” he responded longingly. There was a long paused before he offered her his arm and she debated internally on what to do. Looking back and forth between them, Pyrrha began to feel awkward. There was no way she held a candle to Weiss, so she might as well disappear. Noticing the change in the athlete’s demeanor, Weiss lunged onto her arm and stopped her.

  
“I want to walk with Pyrrha tonight!” Brow furrowed, Weiss stared insistently into the red-head’s jade eyes. “I’m not taking ‘No’ for an answer,” she said flatly. A moment passed and Pyrrha raised a hand to her mouth before she started to laugh uncontrollably.

  
“Your cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk! Hahahaha!” Pyrrha hunched over and tried to contain herself while Weiss crossed her arms in a huff. Jaune stood there completely confused by what had just occurred. Had Weiss just left him for his partner? What the heck!

  
“Alright, you’ve had your laugh! Let’s go! I want to talk to Winter before she goes to sleep!”

  
Outside, it was chilly enough to see their breath, though the absence of wind made it seem not nearly as cold. Light snowfall danced through the air, weightlessly fluttering about until it joined the mass of its fellow flakes. With the UV lights now on, the snow had taken on a purple hue that, while eerie, was strangely beautiful. As promised, Weiss clung onto Pyrrha for warmth and Jaune moped behind them, dragging his feet. She was his charge – not Pyrrha’s!

  
“You’re welcome.” Weiss whispered absently, snapping Pyrrha from her thoughts.

  
“Huh?”

“You like Jaune.” The red-head flared crimson. “With how warm you are, I should poke more fun at you on this subject.”

“I-I-I don’t know what you mean!” She really hoped that would deter Weiss. Jaune was right there!

“Cut the crap, Pyrrha… And don’t worry, he’s not paying attention,” Weiss looked back to make sure. “Yep, he’s still moping.”

“…”

“You look at him the same way he looks at me…” If her head could have sunk any lower, Pyrrha might have been an ostrich. Crap, now she had two people feeling sorry for themselves… Okay, so maybe that hadn’t been the best choice of words. “Look, what I mean to say is that I’m not interested and he knows that. He’s been my best friend forever and I don’t want him to hurt himself by chasing after me forever. Besides, I’m… fascinated with someone else.” Pyrrha’s head jerked at that revelation.

“Does he know?!”

“Huh? Oh, no. Just Winter and now you. I suppose I’ll be talking to him about it now that he’s officially my guardian. He’ll have to be aware of my… future duties, as will you, since you are his partner. I’ll have to protect this person with my life, which means you both will, as well.” Mind full of questions, Pyrrha gave her a concerned look, but before she could ask any questions, Weiss called to Jaune. “Hey! Wolf boy, come up here and stop dragging behind! Aren’t you supposed to be at my side?”

“Ah! Sorry!” He caught up and stayed a closer distance. “Er, listen, Weiss, I’m super glad this all worked out and I got the position. Thanks for pushing for me!”

“Don’t thank me, Jaune. Thank Pyrrha. She’s been the one who trained your sorry ass,” Weiss teased and Pyrrha blushed.

“It- it was no problem. I only did what was necessary to get him to an appropriate level. It was all his hard work and determination that lead him here.”

“But Weiss is right, Pyrrha. Without you, I couldn’t have gotten this far and there’s so much more I’ll have to do at Weiss’ side…” Pyrrha felt a small pang in her heart. “But with you supporting me, I know I’ll be ready for anything.” And suddenly like that, her heart was soaring; so elated that she didn’t even realize Weiss slipped away from her next to Jaune.

“Pssst, right now would be a good time to offer her your arm.” She covered her mouth and whispered to him.

“Huh?”

“Jeez, you really don’t know what girls want.”

“Hey!”

“Read the mood. Offer her your arm.”

“Um… okay?...” He stepped forward a couple more steps and suddenly nervousness hit him. Wait… what was he about to do?!… Um, oh man. This was Pyrrha Nikos – Beacon’s star huntress-in-training. Despite being his incredibly kind partner, she was youngest trainee scouted for the Elites in history. She’d shoot him down easy… right??? He held his arm out in a bow. Here goes nothing. “Um, Pyrrha…” Snapping out of her dream world, Pyrrha looked at his arm and blushed brightly. Oh no, she was angry! “I- I didn’t mean to upset you!” She giggled and with a confident gesture, she looped her arm in his and leaned into him.  
“You didn’t.” She smiled to herself and looked back at Weiss, who smiled back. The red-head mouthed the words ‘Thank You’ and Weiss winked back with a grin before walking ahead of them. They had reached their destination.

“You two are cute, haha! You should head home, though. Tomorrow will be a long day, with Jaune’s coronation, and of course, Pyrrha will be indicted too… Hmmm.” Something was off… The snow in front of that Schnee Manor’s gate was too perfect and undisturbed for someone to have come home before Weiss. Odd. Winter was late getting back… Oh hell no! Winter was not escaping from talking tonight! Weiss yanked out her phone and dialed her sister’s number, but there was no answer.

“What’s wrong, Weiss?”

“There are no footsteps or tire tracks and Beacon isn’t exactly that far. It literally took us 15 minutes to walk back. Winter isn’t home and I didn’t see her when we left.”

“Maybe we missed her?” Pyrrha suggested.

“I don’t understand how. I was so certain she left…”

“Look, how about this. You go ahead inside and wait for her. We’ll go back and looked around again before we go home,” Jaune offered. After all, he had to start acting like he earned his position next to Weiss for a reason. “We’ll let you know what we find and you let us know if she comes home. Deal?” 

“Okay. Please, let me know as soon as you find her!” 

Time flew. Seconds turned in minutes; minutes turned into hours and neither Jaune nor Pyrrha had been able to find Winter. They had, however, established a timeline where Winter had indeed left with a gentleman in a white overcoat that wore a bowler hat and drove what was apparently a well taken care of sleek, black Oldsmobile. It struck her as strange in that Winter had never mentioned a boyfriend before. They had been open with each other about everything… so Weiss did the only thing she could do. She called Ironwood – the only Hunter she trusted.  
Ironwood had arrived shortly after, with Pyrrha and Jaune, who had filled him in on what they had dug up. Immediately, Ironwood put out word amongst all the teams of Hunters to keep an eye out for the older sister. He wanted her found no matter what. These girls were very dear to him, and one day, they would lead in Jacques’ stead, but this night had a sinister feel to it - one that made him very unconfident.  
Several more agonizing hours of Jaune and Pyrrha assuring Weiss that Winter would come home passed until a very loud buzzing sound screamed through the home… The first was short. The second held for a while. After the third, the buzzer began to buzz frantically and Weiss scrambled to her feet, running out the door.

“Weiss, wait!” Ironwood called, but she evaded him. That had to be Winter! She was in trouble and someone needed to help her. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, tripping over herself and falling in the snow. She forced herself up and hurried to the gate, slowing to a pause and collapsing to her knees in disbelief. This couldn’t be real…  
“Winter!” A Faunus with short red hair and a Grimm mask stood at the gate, pressing the gate call. Its unforgiving buzz shrieked loudly throughout the premises, grinding through her eyes and drowning out what little sanity the sight before her left remaining. A long, dark, steel katana hovered just over the body of a woman clad in black Hunter vestments lay at his feet. Desperately, she wanted to believe with all of her heart that this couldn’t be her sister and that she wasn’t bleeding out… but from this distance, all she could make out was the growing pool of red-tinted snow that spread out beneath her sister’s body.  
Slowly dragging his hand from the buzzer, the sleek Faunus acknowledged Weiss with a grin and aimed two fingers at her, flicking them back as if firing a gun. The other Hunters from the manor arrived on the scene, equally shocked at the sight before them. Acting quickly, Ironwood fired at the Faunus and others soon joined him. Not one to be outnumbered, the Faunus ran and the Hunters pursued him, though he dove into the aforementioned Oldsmobile as it peeled off.

At some point, Weiss had managed to pull herself together enough to go to her sister. She had to be alive. Each step grew heavier the closer she got – the clearer the image became. That jacket – it the blue bolero that Winter always wore. There was no doubt that this was her beloved sister. The image before her blurred slightly and she choked back a dry sob. Just hours ago, they had been laughing together. Winter had been proud of her. Winter had been the life of the party. Winter had been… had been… alive.  
“Winter…” Weiss collapsed next to her mangled sister, falling over her in tears. She refused to believe this. Winter wasn’t covered in gashes. There was no blood. She was breathing. She wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be. “Winter…” It was so painful. Everything was blurry and the tears stung. Her heart leapt from her chest and the world around her ceased to exist. She cradled her sister in her arms and tucked herself into her, crying loudly.

“WINTER!!!!”

**ooOOoo**

“Weiss!” Weiss struggled against whoever was restraining her. “Weiss! Stop! It’s me! Ruby!” Prying her from her hostile dreams, Ruby forced Weiss to look into her eyes until there was some form of recognition, but just a for a moment Weiss gave her a murderous look and the color drained from the girl’s face. Regaining her awareness, Weiss settled down, curled into a ball, and cried. “Shhhh, it’s okay.” It had taken Ruby a moment to recover from that glare, but she shook herself out of it and cradled the distraught girl in her arms and stroked her hair gently.

Reliving that moment in her dreams was the worst part of sleeping. Most of the time, Weiss didn’t know when that particular dream would come, but it always came when a job would risk running into her sister. Weiss often skipped sleeping just so that she didn’t have to go through that night again, but lately, she had found peace in sleep – leave it to Winter to ensure the restless dreams.

“I can’t imagine the things you’ve seen… or what’s happened to you,” Ruby said listlessly. She was still a bit jarred from those eyes. They left her partially numb, with a pit in her stomach, but there had to be an explanation. She waited for Weiss to calm down and only spoke when she was sure the worst of it was over. “I’m here if you want to talk about it.” Weiss sniffled and shifted herself to gaze at Ruby with soft, appreciative sapphire blues. Shaking the thoughts away, Ruby convinced herself that she had been seeing things. Kindness rekindled the life in Ruby’s silver eyes and Weiss decided that while she meant well, this was a conversation for later.

Noting that it was still dark outside, she glanced at the digital clock sitting on the nightstand. It was unfortunate, but she must have woken Ruby up early; after all, Ruby didn’t have to get up for another hour. Surprising Ruby, Weiss lifted herself a bit and pushed her down, burrowing into her chest.

“… Too tired… but I’m not opposed to being held…” Ruby giggled and wrapped her arms around her, comforting the now-content girl. Whatever the nightmare had been, she’d get it out of her later.

“Sure…” Sighing, she rested her head on top of Weiss’ and her smile faded as she lost herself to her thoughts once more. Weiss was always so controlled around; it seemed like she had to be, and now it felt like Ruby had discovered why… but what did it mean? Should she be afraid? Was she?... No. It was strangely thrilling. In that moment, Weiss had slipped up and Ruby felt that she had gotten her first glance at the real Weiss – the one she knew had been forced into hiding – and it enthralled her… because even it had been for just a second… She was sure those beautiful baby blues had been a ravenous ruby red…

“Hey, Ruby… has Ironwood been acting strange?”


	12. The Watering Hole

 

It had taken her the better portion of the day to find this hole in a wall excuse of a bar – “saloon” was more like it with the old timey appearance and massive amounts of dusty, iron-reddened earth. Cell phone in hand, she dialed the number one last time, in hopes he would answer… One ring. Two rings. Three. Four. “Your call has been forw- _click_!” She clutched the phone in her hand and swore silently to herself. She’d been trying to reach this man all damn day, just to come out here and find out from one of the locals that, much to her chagrin, he had been frequenting the local watering hole. Swinging the door open, she scanned for a familiar face.

“Can we help ya’, missy? Seem a little young to be in here,” the bartender greeted. As far as he knew, she could just be looking for directions. At first, she ignored him, but then she found the familiar figure of a man hunched over, surrounded by bottles of whiskey.

“Nah, Pops! Just looking for family,” she motioned to the man and the bartender gave a knowing nod. Hastily, she sped toward him and loomed over him, hoping that he would sense the weight of her disapproval. Realizing she held far too much hope for him, she slammed her hands on the table and the startled drunk shot up.

“Yang?” He opened his mouth to say something and she held a hand up.

“You know what? I’m not even surprised anymore!” She crossed her arms and threw herself into the chair adjacent from him. “Uncle Qrow, I’ve been trying to find you all day so that I can ask you about this damn Circadian thing, but you’re here!” He took a moment to recollect himself and articulate a reply.

“…Well… Why didn’t you just call?” For a moment the world before her flashed red, but she chose not to entirely lose her cool. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

“I did,” she growled. “ **Several** times.” He gave her a questioning look and hazily reached into his pocket, partially pulling the phone out and taking a peek.

“Huh! Well, would ya’ look at that!” Without looking her way, he let his phone slip back into the pocket and knocked another drink back. As he began to tilt the bottle for another shot, Yang gently pulled the bottle toward herself. “Aw, no fun, kiddo. Ya’ gotta’ enjoy the small things, sometimes!”

“I’m trying to talk to you!”

“Well, I’m all ears now,” he kicked back in his chair, spread his arms wide open, and balanced himself on the hind legs of his seat. The blonde sighed loudly and straightened up. This man was impossible. He had been fine when he was in town the other day, but here he was, on God knows what mission, drunk off his ass. “What’s up!”

“What are you even doing all the way out here? This is awfully far for border patrolling,” she was often skeptical about his supposed missions.

“Patrolling!” He chimed as he happily poured a shot from a different bottle. Just how many did he have on him?!

“Gee, that’s real descriptive, Uncle Qrow,” Yang said sarcastically.

“Eeeehhhhh, rumor has it the Ice Queen popped up around here and so did Adam Tauros. I’m evaluating the credibility of the report.” Wondering just how long he’d been here, Yang eyed the many glasses and bottles littering his table – approximately 5 bottles and an unfathomable amount of glassware.

“I can see you’re doing a great job of that,” she huffed. While he was heralded as an exceptional hunter, she wasn’t sure what truly made him famous – his talent or his equally insatiable appetite for alcohol. Hopefully, his reputation wouldn’t become a black cloud hovering over her career before it even started.

“A **fantastic** job!” He grinned and pounded a fist in to the table excitedly. “Case and point!” Motioning toward the door, Qrow nodded toward the entrance with a subtlety that should have been beyond that of any drunk. A man in a black business suit, shades, and a fedora walked through the door. Obviously he was one of Junior’s subordinates, but what business did he have in the next town across? The man sat down at the far end of the bar and ordered a drink. After a moment, a finely-toned canine faunus of sorts sat next to him. Junior’s lackey produced an envelope and laid it on the table. “Hey, be the kick ass niece I know you are and be my lookout, would ya’?”

Before she could reply, he stood up quickly, wobbling initially as the full force of the alcohol hit him. Who knew how long it had been since the man had gotten up. She could only imagine how his poor bladder felt right now, let alone his liver. Still regaining his bearings, Qrow staggered over to the two men and arrived as Junior’s man was handing the envelope over. Snatching the envelope out of his hand, Qrow looked at it from front to back.

“Well, what do we have here?”

“Bad move, buddy,” Junior’s lackey declared.

“Stay quiet!” The faunus barked at him. Jumping up, he pulled a knife and charged Qrow. Freezing in place, the faunus found himself staring into the barrel of a saw-off shotgun. Without turning to face the half-blooded being, Qrow simply grinned at the lackey and pulled the trigger, splattering blood across the bar’s wooden flooring and tables.

“No, **that** was a bad idea.” He aimed the gun at the sleek man, who shivered nervously. “Oh, where are my manners!!! I sometimes forget that there’s a magic word for these situations… Ummmm…” He tapped his chin with the envelope a few times before leaving it there as he pondered. With a false grin, Qrow spoke through his teeth sarcastically and trained the shotgun on him as an added incentive. “Please?”

“I-I-I-I don’t know anything!” The man shrieked as he shrunk backwards, hiding behind his hands. “Really! Oh God, please don’t kill me! I just run errands! _Deliver this and get paid!_ That’s all I do!” _K-chak_! The gun clacked as he cocked it and shed it of its empty shells. Unconvinced, the gun remained focused on the thug and he caved under the pressure. “Okay! I’m telling the truth, but I may have overheard that this is info going to The Ice Queen! I don’t know what’s inside though!”

“The Ice Queen?” Scratching his head with the corner of the envelope, the puzzled Hunter looked back at the Faunus whose life he had ended only moments ago. “But this is one of Adam’s men.”

“What?! That can’t be! We keep tabs on the White Fang but we don’t deal with them!!!” Qrow nudged at the man’s leg. Who knew what Faunus were capable of sometimes. It was better safe than sorry to double check. He fished through the man’s pocket and found a large wad of cash. Well, he’d certainly been prepared to keep his word and pay the man.

Patting down his cargo shorts, Qrow felt a hard lump and opened the snaps on the lower pocket. Pulling out a white Grimm mask, he tossed it to Junior’s lackey and something black fluttered to the ground. Qrow’s eyes grew wide as he began to fit pieces together… He picked it up and shifted it to hide it within his hand.

“You might want to let Junior know about that then.” He stood up and waved the envelope around. “I’m gonna’ take this, but I won’t let all your troubles be for nothing. You guys are scum, but Junior’s helped us plenty when we’ve been in a bind.” He handed the wad of cash over to him. “Take this and we’ll call it even, so scram! I don’t wanna’ catch you around here again!”

“Done!” With no questions asked, the man made a hasty exit. Sighing, Qrow collapsed into a chair and scratched his head with the barrel of the gun.

“Phew! I was beginning to think I’d actually have to sober up for this one!” And like that, the cool image Yang thought he had worked up was ruined. Deciding to end his moment of relaxation, he opened the envelope and looked through a few of the pages. Not going unnoticed by Yang, his eyes grew wide and he shoved them back in. It had been just as he thought. Dammit!

“Uncle Qrow?” He shook himself back to his senses and looked at her. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing…” He hesitated. “I just need to send this back to Beacon ASAP, but with everything I just learned, I can’t leave this post just yet…” After a moment of silence, Yang spoke up.

“I’ll take it.” Qrow hesitated for a moment, though he eventually decided to hand it to her. Grasping it, she was met with resistance as he maintained his grip. Confused, she looked at him and found an uncharacteristically serious look on his face.

“I’m serious, Yang. This isn’t for your eyes. Take it to Ironwood and leave it at that. Can I trust you?”

“Yes, Uncle Qrow! Have I done anything that would make you think I wouldn’t listen to you?!”

“…” He just stared, before grinning wildly. As he began to open his mouth, she cut him off with an aggravated yell.

“Oh my God, that was **one** time! I fall asleep with gum in my mouth once and you’re never going to let me live it down!”

“Hey, you didn’t have to deal with you! Do you have any idea what kind of disaster an eight year old thinks putting peanut butter in her hair is? You would have thought I told you the world was going to end, so no! We’re not forgetting it!” The blonde gritted her teeth and stormed away with the envelope. “Remember! Ironwood!” She saluted him with her middle finger as she exited the bar. After a moment, a loud engine revved and he heard a loud screech as she sped off. Well, he guessed it was safe to assume she had repaired Bumblebee. Thankfully, he’d been able to give her enough money for the right parts. He chuckled to himself for a moment before something soft rubbed against his hand and reminded him of just why he had hoped she wouldn’t look through the envelope.

After years of being on the field together, it was sometimes difficult to stay in contact with each other. Being a tracker, he often went ahead of the group and left feathers behind, indicating whether an area was safe or filled with danger. Twirling the frayed feather in his fingers, he thought about when she first lectured him and how they would use them. God, he missed her!

Being twins, they shared everything and it had been a complete shock when she was the first to grow feathers. They should have been the same, but it was to be expected; they were fraternal, after all. That at least allowed some room for them to be their own person, but nonetheless, they understood each other’s desires with little said between them. He knew when she set her sights on Tai, just like he knew that a frayed feather meant danger was ahead. Placing the feather on the table, he poured himself another shot and swished it around in the glass.

“She’s gonna’ look, y’know.” Silence was all that answered him, but he didn’t mind. Even if he was talking to himself, he wouldn’t look like an idiot. Everyone had cleared out once the violence had started. Either way, it didn’t change that he’d feel like an idiot.

“… I’m counting on it…” A feminine voice came from behind.

“Hah, if there’s anything we can count, it’s that with Ruby, she’ll get into just as much trouble as you and Summer!” He threw the shot back and slammed it into the table, instantly pouring another. Sadly, instead of filling the shot glass, a hand covered the tiny glass and the alcohol streamed across the new person’s fair skin. His eyes met a pair of ruby irises rife with disapproval. Gritting his teeth, he turned away from her and tried his best to avoid those eyes. He hated how proud she was of their origins, while he tried his hardest to hide the truth, even going so far as to de-feather himself and wear colored contacts.

“You’re a wreck.”

“Well, hello to you too!” He said sarcastically and dramatically swung the bottle around to drink directly from it. Mid-sip, the red-eyed woman yanked the bottle away from him.

“The least you can do is look me in the eyes for more than a minute, brother,” as her long raven hair rustled behind her. Annoyed, Qrow looked her in the eyes and pulled his bottle back, this time setting it down in front of him.

“After all this time?! After raising the kids you should have been here for, this what I get?! You really are selfish, Raven! You got everything! You got the guy, you even got the girl, and a couple of great kids that I’m raising by myself and I’m so damn proud of them, so no, I don’t have to do shit for you!... Least of all, look you in the eyes!”

“Then why, if you don’t have to do shit for me, did you give her that envelope?”

“…Because I need her distracted!... At least, what you left in there will make her choose what’s more important to her.” His words became more and more defeated as he went on. “Yang is searching for answers; answers about a girl who shouldn’t exist, answers about you, Ruby, the family; answers that I know she isn’t going to like when she finds them. I don’t want her to find out!” He leaned over the table a cradled his head in his hands. “How do I explain to her what we are and why she’s not like us? How, Raven? Becoming an Elite is her dream! How do I tell her that she can never be an Elite because Lightforge is toxic to her?! If Tai were here, this would be so much eas-“

“But he’s not!” Raven stopped him. “Yang is a smart girl. She’ll understand, but you have to explain Forge to her and teach her about Holy for Tai! It’s far more potent in her than Ruby; enough to overwrite the influence of Darkforge and allow to her to live as a human.”

“Then why don’t you explain it?!”

“My eyes, Qrow… when I came back, she thought I was one of them. I can’t… how do I make her understand that I’m not…” Raven stopped herself. “My own daughter called me a monster. What do you think she’ll think of herself? I’m sure that Holy can’t remove everything… and Adam knows that.” Qrow’s eyes grew wide. Contacts, excessive grooming – despite his scruff, pretending to have limitations, even leaving the old pictures of his former team with the headmaster; Qrow had gone to great lengths to hide the true nature of the unruly teenager’s family. All the girl had to go on were the stories he told her, but he couldn’t afford to let her see anything that showed a Branwen’s eyes. For this reason, it was worth the long hours of wearing contacts that left his eyes highly irritated but hiding the distinguishing features of a Branwen wasn’t the cause of his current concern.

“Adam knows?”

 “Yes, and rumor has it that he’s working with Winter.”

“Ah, shit… my day just keeps getting better,” he grumbled to himself.

“Qrow, you’re just as involved with the underground as I am. How could you not know? It’s everywhere. No one is crossing paths with the White Fang. They’re doing The Council’s dirty work and Adam’s got his own agenda with The Ice Queen, though I’m sure he wouldn’t be so keen on her if he knew she was a Schnee.” Qrow pondered for a moment. So, Adam wasn’t aware that he was working with the very Schnee he had killed? That might be something they could work with.

“So, how do we feed information about her to him?” Raven sat down heavily in front of him and tilted her head toward the dead Faunus. “We don’t exactly know where either of them are holed up at. They have so many damn hideouts!”

“Well, I would have had a suggestion,” she motioned to the body. “But I have this extremely impulsive **slightly** older brother.”She pinched her pointer finger and thumb together to demonstrate how little the difference in age was. “You two should meet! You’d get along great! It’s like you’re the same person!”

“Ah, hush! At least, Yang shares something with you…” He rolled his eyes at her. “So we find another…” He stared at the table in thought.

“Easier said than done,” she eyed the body for a moment and then it suddenly came to her. She stood up and leaned over the body, fishing out a small piece of white and red metal that resembled a Chinese rigid fan. Looking it over, she pressed into it and a snapping sound was heard. Small gears whirred inside the lining and suddenly plating shot out toward her, forming into an armored, white helmet with red accents – a signature of higher classed White Fang operatives. She wondered what business someone with so little skill had holding onto this, but either way, it would do. “I have an idea.”

  **ooOOoo**

One – there was only one left. Groaning to herself, Weiss snapped the silver case shut. Unfortunately, this meant she would have to return soon; otherwise, she’d wind up eventually giving in to the hunger. In the very least, she would probably be able to hold off for a while since the hunger pangs only hit when her body was regenerating itself. Besides, she’d already conserved them for far longer than most had. Typically, those who went into the field with capsules took one per day. It tricked their bodies into believing that they had fed, while giving them the same sustenance and restoring their Darkforge reserves. On Weiss’ end, she had gone the last three months on only a month supply. It was no wonder Blake was persistently searching for her.

Letting out a sigh, she thought about how wonderful it would be if Children of Darkness accepted them as an alternative food source. It would probably help them to co-exist with humans and it wasn’t so difficult. Sadly, there were those who simply enjoyed killing or bathing in the blood of humans. Visualizing herself covered in Ruby’s blood, her stomach twisted and she grew sick. In no way could she fantasize about her like that and find it appealing! How could anyone? The very idea was simply appalling! For that, she was thankful that she had some amount of humanity intact. Speaking of Ruby, the girl was late! Normally, she texted her by now to let her know she was on the way home. She pulled out her phone and brought up Ruby’s number.

 _‘Where are you?’_ She sat in place impatiently tapping her foot as she waited for a response. Previously, the girl had no qualms with texting since Weiss started staying with her. It was a routine for them. Ruby would get on the bus and text Weiss when she was on the way home, then Weiss would go meet her and walk her home. It was already 15 minutes past the time she normally texted her. What was the delay?! **DING!** The snowy woman scrambled to unlock the phone and pull up the response… Oh…

 _Ruby: ‘I stayed after with Ironwood! Today’s my lucky day! I’m so excited! I get to work on a gatling gun! OMG it’s so cool!!! <3 <3 <3’ _Of course, she was excited about that… but did it hurt to let her know?

_Weiss: ‘You forgot to check in with me…’_

_Ruby: ‘Noooo! You’re mad at me! You’re doing the “...” thing! I’m sorry, Weissy! I just got super excited!’_

_Weiss: ‘I’m not mad! I’m just worried! And don’t call me Weissy! And what do you mean less than 3 is less than 3 is less than 3? Did you hit auto-correct or your head?’_

_Ruby: ‘OMG!!!!! YOU DON’T KNOW?! I’M SO TELLING YANG!!!!’_

_Weiss: ‘What the hell!’_

_Ruby: ‘MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! YOU’RE AT MY MERCY!!!!’_

_Weiss: ‘STOP WITH THE ALL CAPS!!!’_

_Ruby: ‘ <3’_

_Weiss: ‘Gah! I’m done with you!!! Have fun with your gatling gun!’_

_Ruby: ‘Don’t be mad Weissy!’_

_Ruby: ‘Weissy?’_

_Ruby: ‘Weissy???’_

_Ruby: ‘Weissy, did you die????????’_

_Ruby:_ ‘ _WEISS!!!”_

_Weiss: …what does it mean?..._

_Ruby: ... it’s a heart..._

_Weiss: … Oh!... Um, thank you?_

_Ruby: :) <3 Ironwood’s glaring at me! I gotta’ go! See you when I get home!_

_Weiss: Wait! How is Ironwood?!_

_Ruby: Well, he looks a little sick like he might have a fever and he seems a bit antsy, but it’s nothing some Dimetapp won’t fix! ;D Anyway, luv ya’! Ttyl!’_

Ttyl? What the fuck was that?! And love?! Poor grammar aside, wasn’t it a bit early for that word?! They hadn’t even talked about the other night, let alone where they stood! This would definitely have to be a talk for later!... Which also meant that the truth would have to come up much sooner than anticipated… And Ruby would most likely hate her for it, which would come as no surprise. Sighing, she fell back down to the bed. Oi, what was she going to do? Her hand landed on the silver case that she had left to rest on the bed… Ah… What **was** she going to do?

 


	13. In the Shadows

 

“Rrrrrah, dammit!” The wind beat against her, causing her blonde tresses to flap violent behind her. With the sun setting, it was a race against time and her pursuers. A random bullet flew past her as she veered off into the next town in an attempt to lose them. Misshapen wooden planks formed a sturdy enough incline that she took her chances, vaulting herself over a mass of debris leading into an alleyway. Nearing the exit, she tore through her makeshift shortcut at blinding speed, with the roar of the enemy bikers far behind her. To her dismay, two men on a single bike blocked her path and one hopped off, wielding a rather large weapon. Stepping forward, he knelt down and took aim. Skidding to a stop, Yang swerved her bike and took a better look at her surroundings. It seemed the pursuers she had left in the dust had finally gotten on the right track and were slowing to a halt. What the hell was in the envelope that Qrow had given her?! Maybe her unwitting humor might buy her some time. She let out a loud, impressed whistle. “You guys are **really** comin’ at me all kindsa sideways, huh!”

“You know what we want, Goldilocks! Hand it over and we’ll make this quick!”A voice came from behind her, as a dull rumble came to a stop a few yards behind her.  Yang picked at her ear, rubbing and tugging at it. Showing her disinterest with their threats, she rolled the wax between her fingers and the thugs exchanged looks and shrugged at one another.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t listening.” She flicked the wax away and bopped the side of her head. “I heard something about Red Rover and I get first pick?! How thoughtful of you guys!”

“We’re not fucking around, kid.” She glanced dismissively over her shoulder, noticing the pointed horns on his head and let out a laugh. White Fang – she should have known.

“From so far away? I’d certainly hope not! I prefer to be up close and personal!” Yang taunted at them. “Hmmm, leeet’s seeeee!” She scanned over the faunus thugs. “Red Rover, Red Rover,” she pointed at the scaly faunus with the large gun – he must have been one of those horny chameleon types... heheh, horny… “Send **ugly** over!”

 “Alright boys, she asked for it. Let’s light her up!” The gunman trained his aim on her and she winced knowing what was coming. This wouldn’t end well, but maybe she could use Bumblebee for cover. She fell to the opposite side as a few bullets smack into her bike. Seriously?! She had just fixed it! Why was fate so cruel! What had her poor baby girl done to deserve all of these recent atrocities! She looked up to the sky and noticed the darkening clouds. Great, all manner of horrors would be coming out now. That was when it caught her eye. A silhouette on the rooftop above. Her blood ran cold. She was either surrounded by the White Fang or one of those horrors was enjoying the show. No matter, she wouldn’t be food tonight. A foot stepped in front of her and the Faunus attached to it grabbed her by the collar, dragging her to her feet. “Is this close enough for you?” He held a knife to her throat. “I’m going to enjoy this.” Snickers came from behind her and she glanced back. “Blondie, I’m the one you need to be paying attention to.” But she couldn’t draw her eyes away.

Behind his two lackeys, a black shadow landed, thrusting two blades into them. Blood spurt from their chests and they collapsed to the ground. The figure seemed so familiar, but remained so quiet as it gingerly stepped past the two fallen White Fang. Spinning Yang around as a hostage, Yang could feel her captor shaking to his very core.

“Stop or I’ll kill her.” With a few more defiant steps, the figure continued forward and stopped when he raised his knife to Yang’s throat. The shadow cocked its featureless head and dark hair spilled to its side. It wasn’t like the Elders she had heard of. There were no piercing eyes to threaten her. In fact, there were none at all. It stared blankly at the two and suddenly a loud gargle came from the man and his grip released. Yang fell forward, spinning around on her heel as she caught her balance.

A long coarse reed had snaked its way around his neck and dragged him up. Kicking his legs at the air beneath them, he struggled to gasp for air until he fell limp. As he swayed back and forth, the figure behind Yang approached her soundlessly and stopped at her side... and just as she thought, it really didn’t have any features. Other than being a female silhouette, it was a blob of virtually unidentifiable characteristics masked by darkness but she’d recognize this silhouette anywhere. A smile curved onto her lips and Yang looked back up to the roof, where another figure stood. Golden eyes peered down at her curiously and the figure released the body that fell with a loud thump. Beside her, the shadow figure faded away into a thin veil of smoke and Yang grinned even wider. So this was the kitty’s power?

“Just hangin’ out?”

“You’re so wordy.” Those golden orbs rolled around and suddenly the feline leapt down, standing before the blonde.

“You didn’t stick around last time,” the blonde pouted as the cat stared at her with a neutral expression. Yang opened a single eye mischievously and hung her arms around the cat. “My hero!” Belladonna stepped back in surprised and Yang eyed her up and down. “Or do you prefer Heroine??? I mean, you could totally be my drug of choice!” She winked at the Faunus, who blushed and pushed her away.

“You are impossible!”

“Is that why you’ve had your eye on me?” Yang grinned as the feline huffed and turned away. Casually walking back to her bike, Yang mused aloud. “I wonder what’s inside this that has them so interested.” Bumblebee roared to life and a shriek roared in the distance. “Well, I don’t wanna’ stick around to find out what that was! You comin’, kitty?” Belladonna hesitated for a moment before deciding to humor the blonde. Awkwardly, she straddled the seat behind the blonde and loosely held onto her hips. Frowning, Yang grabbed her wrists, pulled her closer, and fastened her arms around herself more tightly. “Geez! You’d think you’d never been on a bike before! I don’t wanna’ lose ya’ now!” And with that, she kicked off and Belladonna held on for dear life.

**ooOOoo**

Collapsing through his front door, Ironwood barely held himself up against the wall, panting feverishly. Gasping for air, he glanced at the front door and reached for the doorknob. Swinging it shut and locking it behind him, he slid to the ground against it. He had heard rumors about the delirious fever that rampaged through the bodies of vampire victims as they became one of the damned things, but this was unreal. There was no way he wouldn’t be found out and he was running out of time. Mentally, he kicked himself for thinking this was something he could handle, but he needed to find his daughter. He wouldn’t rest until she was safe within the walls of the compound. It was the least they could do for his services to the Schnee. His strength began to drain away, but his ears honed in on a small shuffle. Weak with sickness, he still tried to reach for the gun, but lacked the strength to remove it from its holster. How pathetic…

“It’s not so easy, is it, Jim?” He was beginning to think that maybe this Elder was a concoction of the dementia associated with vampirism.

“You’re not real,” he whimpered. The Elder looked taken aback by his accusation. For a moment, she became a solid black form and sighed. Placing a hand to her waist and pressing her free palm to her brow, Hive shook her head. It was safe to assume that she had closed her eyes in disbelief at his sudden denial of her existence… but wouldn’t that be what his mind would expect of a vampire? The vampire muttered something under her breath before she opened a cabinet in the kitchen where she stood. She closed it and continued onto the next one. Clearly, whatever she had been looking for wasn’t in it. “Wh…” He found himself unable to lift his head. “What are yo-ou looking fo-oor?” He managed to force out.

“Aha!” She reached into his cupboard and pulled out a glass, filling it with water at the sink. It was truly a spectacle to see this shredded mess of darkness, casually walking toward him with a glass of water. This definitely had to be some sort of mental meltdown. “Look, Jim, it was hard for me when I went through this. From what I hear, I had it really bad. Even my sire had difficulty handling me, but the difference is that I was kept away from humans. There was no chance for me to attack one, so I never fed, no matter how badly my body ached for it.” She crouched down to his level, holding the water just out of his reach. “It won’t be long before you are detected. They’ll find you out and it will be game over. Won’t you reconsider my offer?” His anger swelled inside.

“Not until you have my daughter!” He grabbed for the water, but she backed away and let him fall forward in a helpless heap.

“Tch, you’re testing my patience.”

“Screw you.”

“I find myself at a dilemma, dear Jim!” She closed her eyes and talked down to him, flaunting the water around loosely. “You see, I really do need you alive. I lack your particular skills and you seem to be particularly short on time, but I can’t have that. All the players are in the right places and I can’t afford to readapt to any more situations.” She opened her eyes and looked at him sternly. “So I am prepared to grant you what you seem to need most; in good faith, of course.” With her free hand, she produced a small, red capsule. “The good news is that it’s not a suppository!” Crouching back down to his level, she offered it to him, but he backed away. Expecting his reaction, her voice became soft, very much like when she had consoled him in the Fire Empress’ manor. “There’s no turning back, Jim. It’s the least I can do for you when you’ve already helped me so much. Do this for me and I will tell you what I do know about Penny’s whereabouts.” His eyes lit up and he scrambled up.

“Tell me!” She nudged the pill and water forward. Gritting his teeth, he snatched them from her and gulped the pill down with the water. Slamming the glass down, he let out a loud gasp. “Now.”

“Well, then,” she was caught by surprise. “I should have just started off with that to begin with. Would have saved us a lot of time.” He glared at her. “Fine, fine! I said I would find your daughter, and to a point, I have, but I do not have her at this time. Getting to her is the problem. She is with The Ice Queen and Adam Tauros.” Ironwood cocked his head in confusion.

“I don’t understand. Are you not Winter?” Since the manor, he had given Hive’s identity a great deal of thought and the only possible vampire he could think of had to have been Winter. They shared many of the same mannerisms, including the smartass quips that had been so iconic to her, but most of all, it was the fact that Winter had a fascination with calling him by his first name, despite his requests that she treat him as a senior officer.

“Hahahahahahahahah! You are most definitely not the first to come to that conclusion, Jim!” She stood tall and hovered over him. “I find it most interesting, but no. You’re daughter had the misfortune of being at the right place at the wrong time. The Council is collecting young girls, though it seems our friendly neighborhood Ice Queen and Tauros were passing through during the incident. Word has it that they intend to use Penny as a form of bartering for Ruby Rose, but we can’t have that, now can we?”

“So, you’re saying you aren’t going to save my daughter…” He clenched his fists together. “Then why are we even spea-“

“I never said that, Jim. I’m merely stating that this is how the situation will be evaluated. The Schnee place value is the Rose bloodline, since they are descendents of Mina Harker. Hive’s goal is co-existence between Light and Darkforge beings. With that being said, we support the Schnee’s position, but that does not mean that I will sit by idly and let someone die. I will retrieve her and you will assist me with what I need, but you do need to know that I am acting on my own – not as a member of the syndicate itself. They would probably have my head if they knew where I was, right now.” _Bzzzz._ Her eyes widened and she dug around her hip for a moment and produced a glowing screen. So even vampires used phones? How oddly civilized. She fumbled for a moment with it and muttered small curses to herself before she finally figured out whatever she needed to. “Oh, what the hell! I don’t even know what that means! Wait… who the hell’s name is that?!.... Argh! She must have broken into my phone! Damn dolt!”

“Is everything alright?” What an odd expression. It wasn’t very often he heard the term ‘dolt’ used, which meant she was a little old fashioned. He cracked his neck and stretched, noticing he was beginning to feel a bit better; almost as if his fever had broken. What was that pill? “You seem… perplexed.”

“Do you know…” She became more hesitant as she spoke. “Emoticons?” At least, he could take some sort of amusement in the fact that she had very little understanding of technology. It almost made her seem human. “It’s a greater than sign, followed by a backslash with a 3 behind it. I just learned what this is without a slash. What the hell does **this** one mean?!” She motioned to her phone and he let out a laugh. Many times had he confiscated a student’s phone, riddled with emoticons and emojis vaguely reminiscent of hearts. If she didn’t know text lingo, she definitely had to be old school.

“It’s still a heart. It’s just broken.”

**ooOOoo**

“Sooooo, you take the bed?” The blonde looked over the small room. Sadly, the inn only had a single bed room, but it made up for that with a couch. Her temporary roommate rolled her eyes again and ventured toward the couch, laying herself on it. “No, Yang. I like draping myself across stiff cardboard.” Hearing the terrible impersonation, Belladonna lifted her head enough to glare at her.

“You do such a wonderful impression of me. I almost had to do a double-take.”

“Well, thank you! I worked hard on it!” She grinned mischievously. “But seriously, I’d feel a lot better if you took the bed.”

“Mmmmn.”

“Please?”

“Nnnnn.” That must have been Cat for ‘No’, but it didn’t matter how tired the kitty thought she was. Two could play at this game.

“Aaaaare you sure?” No response. “Oooookay!”

An odd wiggling sensation buried itself under Belladonna’s sides and suddenly she was scooped up. Flailing her arms and legs, she tried to sway the blonde’s balance, but she grasped her more tightly and launched them both toward the bed. Landing on top of the darker girl, Yang pinned her down and grinned again, looking straight into her eyes.

“Being a Cat makes you agile, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got you beat in grappling.” Her smile was oddly threatening. “Sleep in the bed?” It was an order disguised as a question, simply to give the illusion she had a choice.

“But you paid.”

“And I’m doing what I want with my money!” She stated. “And there’s this total hottie that I wanna’ impress but I’m just meeting her for the second time and I’m like 0 for 2, on some damsel in distress status, right now. So if I want her to sleep in the bed and be comfortable, then she’s going to be comfortable!” Belladonna blushed. Sure, she’d met her share of persistent guys, but they always wanted something. Xiao Long was genuinely trying to be a good person, but she felt it was wasted on her.

“You shouldn’t give up your bed for me.”

“You’re really adamant about this, huh?” The blonde dropped her aggressiveness and loosened her grip.

“Yes!”

“Alright,” Yang sat up and stretched a bit… That was… surprisingly easy. “Only one way I see gettin’ around this. Off the bed!” Huh? Well… yeah…

“Glad to see you came to your senses.” To be honest, Belladonna was a little disappointed their game hadn’t lasted longer. Watching her ears droop slightly, Yang grinned to herself again. As the feline stood up, Yang pulled the covers out and turned the light off. As Belladonna took a step toward the couch, an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back into the bed.

“Hey, I didn’t tell you go anywhere!” She was pulled into a pair of arms and pressed against a warm body that fit snugly around her. The blonde nuzzled into her dark tresses and breathed softly. “This way we both win.”

“But I’m dangero-… Xiao Long?” She rolled around in the woman’s arms and found her sound asleep.

_Zzzzzzzz._

“Really?” The raveness sighed and let out a small laugh. Unable to wiggle out of her sleeping grasp, Belladonna decided to humor her and pulled her close. With no escape in sight, she decided she might as well get comfortable. Attempting to will herself to sleep, she shut her eyes and relaxed… but this was so awkward. Heart racing, her eyes shot open. What if she got the wrong idea in the morning?! The blonde squeezed tighter and nuzzled into her breasts… This was going to be a long night…

 


	14. Just Not My Day

_“Keep an eye on Miss Schnee.” A sleek-looking blonde woman assigned her this week’s task. While she admired the woman’s fair complexion and the curvature of her figure, the woman was as stern as ever. Hair in a simple bun, the woman tried to give off the air of dignified wisdom, but no one could truly hide their wild side. Even though she donned a very librarian-esque appearance, it was Mistress Glynda’s hair that gave her away. Though well-kept, she always left a few stray strands loose to curl and bob with each movement she made. Even so, the mistress still screamed of what she craved most: Sophistication. “Blake!”_

_“Ah! Yes?” Having been caught, the faunus youth scrambled to attention. This was so embarrassing._

_“While I appreciate your admiration, I would appreciate it **more** if you paid attention to what I ask.” The vampiress scolded her. “Did you hear me?”_

_“Y-yes.” Blake shrunk inward, chastising herself for being caught. She had always prided herself in her discretion, yet Mistress Glynda made her question every ability she had ever honed on the streets. “You’d like me to tail Miss Schnee. May I ask why?”_

_“Simply put, Blake, I would trust no one else with this task. It requires someone who knows the ins and outs of the city. You’ve a knack for getting into places you shouldn’t be, correct?” Blake cringed. That was, after all, how the woman had come to take her in. Standing in the Chamber of the Council that she had infiltrated, it was Glynda who had taken initiative in striking her “dead” where she stood. Blake recalled a freezing darkness that overwhelmed her, but almost as quickly as it came, it dispersed though she remained captive in her spot. The woman later invited her to become an understudy of sorts and that was when her fascination with the woman began. “Will you do this?”_

_“Yes, Mistress.”_

_“Blake, how many times do I have to tell you?!” The woman scolded her and she looked down. A piece of leather material pressed under her chin and lifted her face to meet the Elder’s eyes. “You are part of the family, now. The deepest respect you can give me is to say my name. We are all on first name basis here. Only outsiders need be called anything else.”_

_“Yes, Mi- Glyn…da…” A sharp glare made Blake rethink her choice of words. “Is… there something I should be looking for with Miss Schnee?”_

_“Her surroundings.”_

_“Surroundings?”_

_“There is much going on surrounding her - much that she will not understand – and danger seems to be lurking at every corner - even the friendliest faces. I need you to watch her until the time is right.” The vampiress warned. It struck Blake as odd that the Hive Syndicate held such an interest in the young Schnee, but she would do as she was asked, without complaint._

**ooOOoo**

Aaaaah-hhaaaaaa!

But it was so damn hard not to complain, sitting here in this cramped ventilation shaft. How she had managed to find herself in this predicament in the first place left her truly astounded. She peered through the grate, taking in the grandeur of the office. Stained wood veiled the plaster walls of his study, with higher classed paintings lining the walls. The money spent alone on the furnishings was mind-blowing and she wondered whether the paintings were the real things or replicas, but these weren’t the things that caught her attention most of all. It was the scent that had grown stronger and stronger the nearer she drew to the vent opening.

Just as she thought – that sweet scent of vanilla and almond infused into the aged materials she so loved combined with the oily and woody scent of camphor… She suppressed a squeal of delight as she peered out at the many shelves lined with leather-bound tomes - all that knowledge, and maybe even tales of yore, lining those book cases. It was her deepest, inner-most dream to even stand in a room of this likeness, and here she was so close that she could taste it. Maybe she could just… no. This wasn’t the time for that.

“Absolutely not!” A loud slam caused Blake to snap back to reality. A flustered older man with snow white hair burst through the door, accompanied by a younger, equally porcelain girl. Behind them, a much darker man with an amused expression escorted them. “We’ve only just begun to recover from the Xiao Long-Rose tragedy, and with the recent loss of your sister, I’ll not lose what remains of the Schnee lineage! Don’t you understand that The Council is targeting all of our key players?!”

“It’s all the more reason to allow me this request, Father,” the ivory girl retorted. “Now, more than ever, we need a Circadian and I am more than willing!”

“Weiss, the stipulations for a Circadian are that they be born male and that still doesn’t guarantee that they possess the gene! It’s recessive!” Weiss’ father paused for a moment. “Whitley is the only one of my children who qualifies, and yet, he is only a carrier – yet another disappointment yielded from my loins.” At the man’s insult, Weiss flared in anger and lashed out.

“Unlike you or Whitley, Father,” she pressed her hand to her heart for emphasis. “I was deemed compatible from birth, even though I’m not male! Why else would you have put me through this insane amount of trai-puuuh.“ The teenager’s words were abruptly put to a halt by a searing pain that spread across her check. As she raised her hand, her eye began to water and she hissed in pain as she registered the contact that been made. Growling in response, she pushed forward, but was stopped by the more darkly clad man.

“Hey, Jacky-boy,” the gruff man addressed him informally, clearly unafraid of their difference in status. “Maybe Weiss is just antsy right now.”

“Do not address me in such a way, Branwen.” Branwen grinned defiantly and ignored him.

“Maybe we just need to give the little miss a more proactive role. She’s been trained by the best to be the best, but she’s still cooped up and hasn’t seen any action,” he offered. “Maybe we can use some of that pent up energy she has. I know you could certainly blow off some steam.”

“A proper Schnee exemplifies nothing less than excellence, child. That is why you’re so-called _insane amount of training_ exists,” Jacques’ blue eyes shot a piercing glare at the young woman. “But maybe there is something that Weiss can do to preoccupy herself,” he redirected himself at Branwen. “Perhaps something in regard to that niece of yours that she keeps such a close eye on?” The ivory girl turned bright red.

“Hey!” With an irritated twitch in his eye, Branwen covered the beet-red girl’s mouth with a single hand.

“With all due respect, sir, but haven’t my girls gone through enough?”

“Last I checked Qrow, Miss Xiao Long is the only one that is yours and Miss Rose is currently a ward of the Schnee. You are simply a guardian appointed out of convenience. With the deaths and disappearances of their parents, this leaves Miss Rose with no one of blood relation, is that not correct?” Branwen gritted his teeth. It was well-known that the disappearance of Raven, in addition to the Xiao Long-Rose deaths, had left him in a terrible predicament with the girls. Even someone like Blake knew that his line of work kept him from getting complete custody over them, but despite how heartless Jacques could be, there was enough compassion left to at least grant him guardianship. It offered the girls some sort of stability in their drastically changed lives, but that also meant they were constantly under Schnee eyes.  It would be foolish for anyone to make an attempt at them. “Weiss, you will establish a connection with Miss Rose, so that you might go about your business with her in a… less fallacious manner. With the passing of Summer, her daughter will have to pick up her mantle and stand beside you, as the next Beacon’s Rose. However, it would be most beneficial that you are the more dominant individual this time around. It is embarrassing that a Schnee be ordered about like some commoner. Do you understand, child?”

“Yes, father.” The young Schnee’s anger subsided and she stood in a slight bow, with her hand across her heart. He stood from his desk and handed Qrow a sheet of paper.

“Then you are dismissed,” the patriarch flitted his hand in a shooing manner, urging her to leave. “Fill this out Qrow. Despite being Schnee property, proper protocols are still required.”

“They’re not some sort of cattle that you own, Jacques,” Qrow growled. “They’re human!”

“A debatable statement… Nevertheless, you will be leaving for a mission soon,” he dismissed Qrow’s comment. “This establishes Weiss as their primary, in your stead. They will still be able to act as they please as Weiss sees fit. Knowing that they have not come into their own power yet, I am sure that little will change for them. Weiss will accommodate to their individual needs in a fitting manner.” Qrow snatched the paper from Jacques’ hand and gritted his teeth. With Weiss out of the room, Blake saw this as her cue to leave and catch up to her charge, but as she began to back out, a continuation of the conversation caught her ears.

“So when are you gonna’ tell her, Jack?”

“I know not what you speak of, Qrow,” Jacques looked at his darker counterpart dangerously, warning him that he was treading on thin ice.

“Oh, come on! You know exactly what I’m talking about!” Qrow slammed his hands on the mahogany desk, earning the disdainful click of Jacques’ tongue as he sucked his teeth.

“I would like to remind you that these woods are quite expensive – far beyond the pay grade of brutish services such as yours.”

“Screw the wood! Winter reanimating is a far bigger problem! If Weiss finds out-“

“We won’t be letting her find out, now will we?” Jacques placed a weight onto some papers that sat on his desk. “With how hot-headed that child is, it would be a disaster for her to find out. She would most likely turn against us if she found out that Winter traded places with her. We still have no idea which of the Council members it was that turned her, let alone that they turned her… They must have realized that she was the wrong child. Blasted vermin!” He let out an aggravated sigh. “Your next mission entails you finding my daughter and eliminating her before Weiss finds out and before those leeches suck any information out of her! It would be the end of us! We **have** deactivated her pass codes, correct?”

“Yes, that was taken care of immediately, under the speculation that the Council had contaminated her body in some way.”

“Good, we can’t afford anymore mishaps. There is too much at stake and these three children are of the utmost importance. Really, they should all have been placed in a program together as a backup for the inevitable failure of that polyamorous abomination of so-called heroes.”

“Watch it, Jacques!” Qrow growled. “You can treat your family however you like, but this is mine that you’re talking about.”

“Qrow, you can’t say that they didn’t grow soft. Their overconfidence led to the short-sightedness that landed us in this predicament. As invincible as they were, their legend was doomed to die out and now their children **and mine** will pay the price! It’s already begun!”

“But it was always Summer’s blood that they were after!” Qrow shouted, eliciting a gasp from the ventilation shaft. Hearing the sound, Jacques honed in on it, tearing the aluminum covering from the wall. At that moment, all he was able to catch was the silhouette of a slender cat-eared faunus. “After it, Qrow! It’s in the vents! Bring that dirty mongrel to me pleading for its life!”

Sirens wailing, Blake waited as several men ran past the shaft exit she had chosen. In her panic, she had somehow lost her cool and could no longer remember what paths she had taken. This was such a disgrace. How could she have let herself get caught… and why did the Council need Summer’s blood? Wasn’t it counter-productive if Ozpin had killed her??? Well, she didn’t have time to wonder about that right now. The first thing was getting out alive. She inhaled deeply and focused her senses on her feline ears, blocking out the sound from her human ones… No movement. She was free to go! Now all she needed was a disguise.

 _Clank! Clank! Clank!_ The sound of boots against the grating of the catwalk she had landed on was approaching her fast. Unable to think of anything else, she dove overboard and latched onto the underside. Times like these had her appreciating her feline side more than ever.

“No signs of the intruder. Wills, you stand guard here and let us know if anything out of the ordinary occurs. We’ll continue on and radio you, as well.”

“Yes, sir!” Wills stood at attention and shouldered his rifle. The two other men that had shown up with Wills moved on without him and Blake grinned to herself. _Lucky day!_ After a few minutes to be sure the coast was clear, she silently moved herself along the ledge of the catwalk, keeping an eye on him. When she was sure he had let his guard down, she grasped his leg and yanked it out from under him. “What the?!” Wills crashed into the ground, head first, and was out cold. She cringed to herself, thinking about how much worse that would have been if his helmet hadn’t been there for him. Shaking the thought from her mind, she dragged him down the walkway and stripped him of his fatigues and hid him behind a large generator. Well, this was certainly convenient. At least, now she had idea of where she was. Adjusting her helmet, she picked up his rifle and slammed the butt into the control panel of the generator, causing the lights to flicker, before returning in a red hue.

_“System Failure. Switching Over To Emergency Power._

_System Failure. Switching Over To Emergency Power.”_

Charging out of the room, she used the disarray to her advantage. Making her way past Hunters, she fled out into the halls and made for the emergency stairs. Why was this damn hallway so long and crowded though?! And then suddenly, a radio call came in to one of the neighboring Hunters.

_“Private Wills has been found unconscious and without his uniform. I repeat, Private Wills is unconscious in the Generator Room with uniform stolen.”_

_Shit!_ A Hunter across from her happened to look her way and gave her a questioning look before making his way toward her. Ducking her head, she turned around and made her way back hastily. Shit, shit, shit! She was going to get caught! Head unclear, she raced through hall until she was yanked backward. No! Not like this! A strong arm wrapped around her torso, immobilizing her arms, while the other cupped her mouth. She squirmed and tried to break free, but they only grabbed her harder and forced her still.

“Chill out, kid!” She recognized the voice from earlier as she was dragged through the hall and thrown into a room. Rubbing her arms, she hissed where he had grabbed her and grumbled to herself. Glaring at the monochrome clad man, he was eyeing her up and down like a creepy old geezer. Swell! One of **those** types. Branwen walked toward her and grabbed at the jacket she was wearing, ripping it off of her. Seriously? **Now** this was happening? He **was** a creeper! Readying herself for him to lunge at her, she was surprised when he laughed her off

“Relax, kid!” He turned around to rummage through a locker and tossed something at her. “You’re not my type.”

“What???” Her face twisted in confusion at the jacket in her hands, so he attempted to lay her worries to rest.

“Wear that. If you’re walking around with **WILLS** plastered all over you, you’re just looking to get caught. Next time, try **not** getting caught.” She looked at the jacket he had taken from her and found the Hunter’s name and initials to be stitched into almost every corner. Shoulders sagging in disappointment with herself, she felt stupid for such a mistake… but why was he helping her? Was this just a ploy to catch her off-guard? Eyeing the jacket he had handed her, she decided to memorize the name on it, just in ca- Oh…

XIAO LONG

If he had defended them so passionately to Jacques earlier, there was no way he’d just hand this off with ill-intentions. Without argument, she put it on and waited for his order.

“That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” He said, with his gruff and husky voice, hoisting a large case over his shoulder. A brief thought crossed her mind where his voice reminded her of an actor in an old series she had once watched… What was his name?... Clint Beastwood or something? Well, it didn’t really matter, at the moment. “I have something else for ya’ too. Gotta’ go up.” He pointed toward the ceiling. “Don’t worry. Follow.” The man simply walked out of the door and headed away from where the commotion had been. Ah! If she didn’t hurry up, she would get left behind and she had a feeling he wasn’t in the mood to wait.

Following him through the corridor, she stuck close, almost using him as a human wall. As they made their way up, a few Hunters gave them strange looks, but looked away when they saw the name on her… Wait, did they think she was Yang Xiao Long??? But she was a blonde, with flowing locks of hair, while Blake’s was a black short and choppy pixie cut, courtesy of the blades the White Fang used to maintain themselves... Then again, Xiao Long’s mother had dark hair. There must have been those who didn’t know about the girl whose color took after her father. They soon arrived in a room with large panes of glass and a city-wide view.

_“Suspect has Branwen as a hostage on 10 th floor. Repeat, suspect is on 10th floor with hostage and should be considered armed and dangerous.”_

What the hell?! She didn’t even have a weapon anymore! Panicking, she looked to Qrow, who had opened the case and was fitting something together as he hummed to himself. How could he be so carefree at a time like this?!

“Take it easy,” he clicked whatever it was together and pointed it at her. “I told you I had something for you.” She shrunk back at the blade he pointed at her. Was he betraying her now?! Thinking about it, Jacques had told him to bring her back begging for her life. She backed away from him and he laughed, pointing it toward the glass. With another click, the blade vanished, shattering one of the glass panes in the process. After a moment, it suddenly stopped and pulled taut. “Grab it here, now-“

“In here! Move, move, move!” Doors slammed open on the floor and boots stampeded through the halls, with other doors slamming open. “Clear! Clear! Clear!”

“Ah, you’ll figure it out.”

“Figure wh-“ He pushed her closer to the window and tossed the item around her with enough force that it wrapped around her several times and he tucked it into itself. Another door slammed open and her heart started racing.

“No time! Don’t die, kid… and tell Glyn she owes me,” Qrow kicked her out the window and she was suddenly hit with the recoil of whatever was wrapped around her. Screaming, she flew through the air toward a distant building at an enormous speed. After the initial shock wore off, she recollected herself and realized that the ledge the blade had lodged itself into was coming insanely fast. Wriggling at first, she realized it only made the ribbon tighter and she would have to try something else. This thing was wrapped around her, right? That’s what ropes and ribbons did! Mid-air, she started to spin herself and managed to loosen it, but it wasn’t enough before the wall came. In a last ditch effort, she spun herself around, planting her feet firmly into the wall. Lower body absorbing most of the impact, she knew she was going to feel this in her legs later, but for now she was suspended from a strange type of hookshot that she had never seen before, just waiting for it cut off her circulation. What a way to go out that would be! Mistress Glynda would surely never forgive her!

On a positive note, she had managed to unravel herself to a point where she could more easily see the blasted contraption she was dangling from… and it was… a sword hilt, a trigger, and some other strange things??? What the hell were the Schnee making these days?! Ugh!

Yanking her right foot out of the wall, she used it to pry her left out and wound up swaying with the wind. _Hah hah haaaaah!!!_ She looked up at the sky and cursed whatever deity she could hear laughing at her futile attempts. As she swayed back and forth, she tried to bring herself back in, grasping at the caved in cement. After a few tries of bouncing herself from the wall and slipping from it, she managed to anchor herself well enough to angle herself. Now all she had to do was just time this right.

Using the crater as leverage, she forced herself into a spin, successfully unraveling herself. Great! Now all she had to do was time this just right and grab the hilt before she plummeted to her untimely death! It was reaching the final binding and YES! She nailed it. Hand gripping it perfectly, she thanked her Werebeast blood for giving her the incredible strength and reaction speed that allowed this feat to be possible. _Click!_ Oh no… It had just now dawned on her what that trigger was for.

Launching at high speeds once more, Blake realized that the trigger was what operated the whole contraption and she had pulled on it right as she came to a stop. Screaming in surprise once more, she wasn’t prepared for the ledge that came at her so quickly. She remembered the pain as it contacted her shoulder, the impact to her face, the feel of concrete as it bit into her cheek, and then suddenly everything was pitch black.

…It just wasn’t her day…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Been a rough couple of months for me! I've been out of work on Workman's Comp and it's been nothing but a hassle the whole way. I've been having a lot of difficulty with my right arm and at times, both of my hands. Oi. Worst part is I think some of the damage is permanent, but I'll get around it somehow! Anyway, the AO3 upload is a bit behind, but I recently announced that a Lightforge spin-off is in the works. Back in Chapter 6, Ruby showed Weiss a pic of her parents. The spin-off will follow Team STRQ and will fill in some background info. It's eventually Poly Parents, but is very largely a Rosebird fic. Anyway, I'll let you guys know when it's up. For now, I'm gonna' focus on getting AO3 caught up!


	15. I Will

Over the last few days, Blake had grown accustomed to this strange contraption the Schnee had built. It was actually rather handy in that she could swing from place to place. It also doubled as a fairly handy weapon that she now dubbed “ _Gambol Shroud”_. It was a lot easier than saying “ _hookshot sword harpoon rappel thingy”_. Before the trigger was pulled, its base state was a katana. It had quite a few other unique features that she hadn’t gotten around to playing with, but for now this was fine. All she needed to do was pay attention, lest she knock herself out cold and wake up on the top of a building again… At least, she had been out of the range of interest for most of the night creatures’ hunting tastes.

As for today, the day had been quite full with tracking Weiss. Overall, she had a feeling that Weiss was well-liked by her peers, but she could have a nasty bite when she wanted to. Part of Blake sympathized with this aspect of the heiress. While Blake herself did her best to avoid people, she wanted to be, well… wanted. She just didn’t want the invasion of space that came with it. Listening to others converse left her feeling energized, simply by just being present. It was also why she enjoyed missions like this. People’s lives and interactions told so many stories, sometimes even more vivid than the books she could get her hands on. They were both a guilty pleasure to her.

Either way, Weiss’ life was something of an enigma to her. She found that the heiress was not quite the portrait that had been painted of her – quite the contrary when compared to her initial opinion actually. Taking today for example, the Schnee tended to promote keeping Faunus hidden away and treated them poorly. It was part of why Blake had felt so driven to join the White Fang, which ironically got her into this situation.

A well-built human boy had been poking fun at a rabbit-faunus and it had been eating at Blake so badly. It had served so badly to remind her of why she had problems with these types of missions. Simply put, she couldn’t afford to make a mistake and draw attention to herself, especially with the ruckus she had caused the other day. The boy pushed the Faunus against a wall and knocked the wind out of her and she began to cry. That was when the Schnee heiress had shown up.

When Weiss had crossed paths with the boy, she had strung him up with several glyphs and threatened expulsion from the academy without the possibility of serving Beacon in any form of military or law enforcement. That had been enough for him to flee when he fell from the tree she had suspended him in. As he scampered away, Weiss had offered a hand to the young Faunus and smiled at the cowering girl. In that moment, Blake saw her in a new light and wanted to drink in as much of the bright young woman as she could… maybe… maybe she was also someone she could follow one day… and not in the creepy kind of stalker way that she was doing right now…

_Yep, that’s right Blake. You’re a stalker now._

Weiss was certainly a busy bee too. As much as Blake considered herself to be the one stalking Weiss, Weiss was a bit of a creeper herself. Page upon pages about the Xiao Long-Rose family littered her desk. The glimpses she had caught of Weiss’ phone were also riddled with information pertaining to the young Rose girl… What was so important about her and why was Weiss so obsessive? That’s what they called this, right? An obsession?

Thinking back to the conversation between Qrow and Jacques, she recalled that Ruby would have to take her mother’s place by Weiss’ side and that there was something special about the woman’s blood that The Council would have been after. Mistress Glynda would most certainly find the information strewn across the desk useful, so Blake would wait. Once she was certain that Weiss had left the room for her dinner, Blake decided to strike.

A camera sat by the balcony door to Weiss’ room. Luckily, Blake was prepared this time, no thanks to Qrow’ behalf. That man was truly an angel in disguise, and with the toolset that Gambol Shroud afforded her, no wonder that man said that Glynda owed him. Blake pulled Gambol Shroud up and decided to test one of the features she had accidentally discovered when she disrupted her phone’s functionality the other day.

Apparently, Gambol Shroud came with a built-in EMP device that could fire concentrated microwaves and disable electronics for a brief period of time. She only needed to fold the blade down and flip a small switch to the appropriate setting. She aimed, fired, and the light that sat atop the small security camera flickered out. Returning Gambol Shroud to its original state, she gave its hookshot mode another try, this time swinging across the way. Landing in a controlled roll, she tumbled into Weiss’ room and glanced around to make sure no one else was in the room.

Muffled voices were outside Weiss’ room and Blake ducked beneath the desk the heiress had been working at only moments before, but they passed without worry. The must have been the hired help. Just to be sure, Blake crept overto the bedroom door and locked it before returning to the desk. Worst case, Weiss would just think she locked it – hopefully. Well, she needed to hurry with this before Weiss returned. She had maybe 20 minutes left and there were quite a few papers to dig out if she wanted to be meticulous and leave things as Weiss had. After all, the young heiress struck her as an OCD type that was keen to remember how things were left on her desk. Speaking of that, did this family have a mahogany fetish or something?!

The first thing she noticed was a comprehensive sheet detailing Weiss’ day-to-day regimen. It was a bit unorthodox for even a standard Elite’s training. Where most of the sheets focused on physical training, this one was chock full of comprehensive studies on vampires, Dark Forge incorporation and absorption, and theories on applying Dark Forge to humans – most how it could benefit them versus the dangers it presented. Why the hell would a Lightforge user need this? The only purpose it to serve would be a more comprehensive understanding of Werebeast utilization and Faunus absorption, but why? She snapped a picture and moved on to a team listing: Team RWQWST (Requisite). Interesting. It incorporated the members of Team STRQ that plagued the daymares of every Child of the Night.

She snapped an image of each member’s record, noting just how strange this team truly was... In fact, someone as normal as Winter being present was strange in itself, when compared to rest of the team. Again, that word Circadian popped up in Weiss’ profile and further down it mentioned something that leapt out at her. Much like Faunus, Weiss tested positive for a Darkforge absorption affinity, but it had not yet presented itself… However, unlike the werebeast hybrids, Weiss’ ability to call on Lightforge had not been forsaken. Just what the hell was Blake getting herself into?

Outside the door, she heard voices again, this time sounding more like Weiss. Panicking a bit, she rifled through the papers and snapped pictures of each remaining sheet. As she reached the final one, a pair of hollow amethyst eyes stared emptily at her. It was a small blonde girl in a single large tee shirt around the age of 10 with dirt and blood saturating her clothing and smeared across her face. Knowing that this must have been just after the Xiao Long-Rose tragedy, she froze at the haunting image of the girl.

Right beside the image was a second one portrait, with a vibrant young teenager. Fundamentally, these eyes belonged to the same person, with only a few years having passed. It hit her that Ruby’s file had also been the same, with a similar vacant stare and a seemingly happy teen, but it was something about the blonde’s eyes that called out at her.

A rattle of the door handle drew Blake from the momentary distraction and she began to restore the papers to their original order. With only a moment to spare, Blake was out the window and swinging across the town to a safe distance. At least from here, she could still keep an eye on the heiress and analyze the images she had taken.

While she hadn’t read much of the details across the various files, there had been something that jumped out at her about Yang Xiao Long, when compared to her parents. She swiped over to Yang’s file and read over it, flipping back and forth between three of the members of Team STRQ. This was definitely something strange. There something that didn’t add up about the **entire** family and it went all the way down to their genetics!

**Name: Yang Xiao Long   Name: Ruby Rose**

**Age: 15 (ALIVE)               Age: 13 (ALIVE)**

**Blood Type: ?                  Blood Type: ?**

**Race: Human (Type R)  Race: Human (Type R)**

**Name: Tai Xiao Long   Name: Raven Branwen   Name: Qrow Branwen   Name: Summer Rose**

**Age: 32 (DECEASED)   Age: 36 (MIA)                    Age: 36 (ALIVE)                Age: 32 (DECEASED)**

**Blood Type: ?               Blood Type:  O                  Blood Type:  O                 Blood Type: ?**

**Race: Omni-Human    Race: Faunus – Bird         Race: Faunus – Bird        Race: Human (Type C)**

Zooming in on the papers, Blake blinked her eyes several times to make sure she was reading this correctly. How could it have been possible that Yang was human when her mother and uncle were so obviously Faunus. The blonde didn’t even show the faintest trait of the prominent feathers and red eyes the twin brother and sister shared.

Thinking back on it, she compared the man she had met a few days ago and the man in the RWQWST profiles. He had done quite a lot in terms of grooming to look human. Contacts must have dulled his eyes from the bright red that Scavenger Bird Faunus were known for and often caused them to be mistakenly identified as vampires. While he kept himself scruffy, he no longer had the beautiful feathers that mixed in with his hair. Touching her ears, Blake contemplated just how hard of a decision to make it was to hide the Faunus heritage that many of them were so proud of. Why all this secrecy?

None of this made sense! It almost appeared that the only people related in the Xiao Long-Rose-Branwen family were the Branwens, themselves! Neither of the children were Faunus, which meant that neither Qrow nor Raven could be related to them. Raven could only be a mother in the sense of being a surrogate or adoptive purposes. Then there were the various human typings. What were Omni-humans and Type C and R humans? Again, the girls didn’t even share human typings with them and the Rose-Xiao Long members shared the problem of not even having a blood type… but it didn’t stop there.

The files became stranger and stranger as she read over them. Summer’s file made mention of some sort of highly classified item stored at an armory on the outskirts of Beacon… Why did that sound familiar?... She vaguely recalled Adam mentioning that The Council wanted the White Fang to retrieve something before she fled, but if they had made a move, it would have reached her ears by now. For what it was worth, she still had at least one friend on the inside of The White Fang… Unfortunately, Adam had never said what this item was - only that The Council would kill for it. If Adam had it, The Council would be putty in his hands.

As she returned to Weiss’ files, a few more alarming items jumped out at her, including an emergency protocol on how to kill the girl should a situation ever arise. It made mention of the word Circadianism and testing positively for it several times, as well as a need for imprinting a special type of human onto her. Summer Rose was apparently the woman they had chosen, but while she answered to her, the file also made mention of a growing obsession with the woman’s young daughter that happened to be a spitting image of her. That made sense, considering the argument with Jacques and the sheer amount of interest Weiss had in the family… Did the C-type stand for something to do with Circadianism?

… But this actually wound up confirming something for Blake. Part of her had wondered if Weiss’ interest was because of the loss the Xiao Long-Rose sisters experienced. It made sense. With Weiss having worked so closely with Team STRQ, one could imagine that she wanted to watch out for her mentors’ children… but with the mention of borderline obsession evident before their deaths, it was a bit unsettling.

For now, Blake would have to save the information for Mistress Glynda and pray that the woman would be willing to answer her questions. After all, Blake felt that she had proven herself to the woman and if she were to continue her work for her, it would undoubtedly become more dangerous. Mistress Glynda should be able to understand that Blake was concerned for her safety and what dangers lay ahead. The lights of Weiss’ room went out and Blake checked the time. It was time for the heiress to sleep and Blake’s work for the day was done. For a moment, she considered what she would do until the Schnee girl woke up and restarted her day, but there wasn’t much for the feline to do without running into trouble.

“Yaaaaaaaang! Wait!”

“Rubes, c’mon!” The blonde yelled in a panic. “If we don’t get back soon, there could be trouble!” A dark haired teen just a few years younger than the blonde ran close behind her.

“Geez, Yang! We’re almost home!” She huffed. “It’s not like we’re gonna’ run into any trouble this close to home!” Blake tilted her head to get a better as the two ran by. Didn’t they know that it was almost curfew? Why cut it so close? It was a full moon tonight! The feline decided to trail the rooftops and make sure they made it safely. After all, these were ironically the very same girls that she now had files on. “Yang! Look!” The punk-styled younger sibling had stopped in front of the window of a game shop. “It’s out! It’s out!”

Oh God! They didn’t have time to be stopping so that she could be excited about the latest game! The older sibling marched over to her and commented about it being cool but they’d get it later when they had time. The younger sister shouted happily and they went on their way. Blake sighed in relief at this, but then she spotted something stalking after them in the shadows.

As it slinked about, she could make out a shifting in its features. Bones reconfigured themselves, contorting themselves into strange positions, and its clothing tore to shreds as massive muscles expanded. Fur sprouted and it let out a loud howl that resounded throughout the street. Both the girls looked back in horror and spotted the creature. Panicking, they made a break for it and sprinted desperately in the direction their home, but the sudden motion caught the beast’s attention and it launched at them at full speed. Shit!

Making a split-second decision, Blake decided to give Gambol Shroud a field test and fired it across the buildings. Thankfully, she had gotten better with it, though she wasn’t sure it she could use it in a high speed chase or as an efficient weapon. Catching up with them, she swung along the buildings. With a powerful push, the creature lunged at Ruby, who looked over her shoulder and screamed as the shadow loomed over her.

“Ruby!” Yang had called out to her sister in fear, but she was too late. The beast would land on her and Yang wouldn’t make it in time. As it drew closer, a black blur rammed into it and went spinning along the ground with it. The figure landed atop the beast and rose their arms up with a blackened blade and thrust it down. While the beast shrieked in pain, Blake realized that it hadn’t been a silver-coated blade. After all, from what she gathered, Gambol Shroud was still in testing. Of course it hadn’t been outfitted with an appropriate blade!

A claw thrust up at her face and its knotty fingers wrapped around her head. The beast pounced at her from its position on its back, slamming her into the ground face-first. In her disoriented state, she almost didn’t catch the piercing sensation across her arm as several dagger-like fangs tore into her. Shrieks of pain ringing through the beast’s ears, it tossed her aside like garbage and spat her blood away. Clearly, it had realized she was a Faunus.

A rumor she had once heard was Faunus blood left a vile taste somewhat akin to licking tree bark in the mouths of werebeasts and vampires alike and the words appeared to carry some weight behind them. The beast fixated back on the two mortified girls that she had attempted to save, but she was far too injured to pull off another feat of heroism.

“Shit! Ruby, run home!” Yang ordered her sister to go ahead of her, but she refused. “Now!”

“No Yang! We have to help her!” Ruby argued. “She tried to help us!”

“But…” The beast ran at them at full-sprint. “Dammit… Well, I just got this today, but I guess now is as good a time as any.” Yang drew a single handgun from the waistline of her back that resembled a magnum in a semi-auto pistol design. Pulling the trigger, she fired a single round at the beast that sent it flying backwards with the force of its impact. Coming to a stop as it skidded across the ground, the grounded itself and clutched at the wound. Seeing its own blood on its fingers, it sneered at her and let out a horrific screech. Pulling itself forward with its front claws, it made a move in their direction but fell instead, losing all of its strength. In a mass of confusion, it writhed on the ground, panicking as Yang walked toward it at a leisurely pace. “It’s silver, you dumbass. It leaves you assholes so weak that you’re almost paralyzed.” Without looking, Yang fired another shot between its eyes and sauntered toward Blake without regarding the creature in the least.

In the time it had taken Yang to kill the werewolf, Ruby had run over to check on Blake. While she was grateful for the younger girl’s concern, she had been mesmerized by the ease with which Yang Xiao Long had dispatched the creature, but there was something dangerous in her eyes. Where Adam was filled with hate, this was something different. It was emptiness.

Knowing the past of the Xiao Long-Rose sisters, she could tell that Yang’s loss was a driving factor in the blonde’s life and she would protect her loved ones without remorse. This wasn’t something she had done out of hatred for the creature. That beast had simply chosen the wrong target and Yang Xiao Long was the type to hold no sympathy for those who attacked what remained of her family.

“You’ve been bitten!...” The blonde’s lilac eyes widened at the sight of the blood seeping from Blake’s arm and she trained her gun on Blake. Flattening her ears, Blake gave her a frightened look, but the blonde froze at the sight of her ears and lowered her weapon. “…You’re Faunus…” Those lilac eyes that Blake had admired darkened a bit at the mention of her race. Oh… Blake had created such a connection to her through strife that she had almost convinced herself that race didn’t matter… After a loss like that, Yang must have also shared something with Blake. She was uncomfortable with those outside of her kind. Gravel ground against something as shoes scuffed against the ground to her side and silver eyes looked over her. “Rubes!”

“Yang, she’s hurt!” Ruby glared at her sister and huffed. “We can’t just leave her! It’s not like she’s gonna’ turn!” Biting her lip, Yang looked away for a moment, but when a howl sounded not too far off in the distance, the blonde dropped to her knees and scooped Blake up.

“Alright, no stops this time,” Yang barked at Ruby. Turning around, they ran toward their home and Ruby scrambled to put the password to their gate in. Once it opened, Yang ran in and Ruby slammed the gate behind them and armed the security system. The UV lighting and electric fencing sparked to life as Ruby opened the door for Yang. Carrying her into the kitchen, Yang sat Blake in a chair and checked over her arm. As the blonde looked over her, Blake suddenly felt herself become small. She had no right to be in a place where she was unwelcome.

“I’m… sorry…” Blake apologized after Yang stared at her ears for the third time.

“Huh?” The blonde seemed to be confused by Blake’s sudden apology. Yang quirked an eyebrow at her as Ruby handed her a dark towel, a wash cloth, and some medical supplies.

“My ears…” Blake said quietly as Yang put the towel under her arm and began to ball up the cloth.

“Oh, what about them?” Yang waved off her worries. “This is gonna’ hurt by the way.” Without any other warning, Yang shoved the cloth into Blake’s mouth and doused her arm in rubbing alcohol. Doubling over in pain, Blake screamed into the cloth as she bit into it. What the hell was wrong with her?! Was this some sort of revenge for making things worse earlier???

“Yeeeeeah, sorry about that,” the blonde looked away. “I find that I get over the sting faster if I just go for it.” After an initially agonizing moment, the pain started to subside and Blake cried a little into herself. “Ummm, sorry? I mean, Qrow says it works faster.” Ooooof course he does… That man would find some way to get back at her for causing trouble… Oh shit… Blake paled as she thought about what she was wearing. There was no way the blonde hadn’t seen it.

Blake sat back up and looked herself over, and just as she had suspected, she was still wearing Tai Xiao Long’s Huntsman jacket... and now it had holes and her blood soaked into it. Groaning to herself, she smacked her head against the table and pressed the alcohol-soaked towel against her arm. After a few moments, Yang pulled Blake’s arm toward her and checked the bleeding. While it had mostly stopped, she would still have to be careful not to open it.

“Yang, is she gonna’ be okay?” A pair of concerned eyes sat at Blake’s level across the table.

“Yeah, Rubes. Faunus are built tough for this kinda’ stuff! See!” If she had been human, a wound like this would still be spouting blood all over the place. “It’ll take a few days to heal all the way, but the cool thing is that it probably won’t even leave a scar!” Yeah, just remind her of how inhuman she was. Suddenly, something cool spread across her arm and it started to heat up as it absorbed her body heat. Shifting her eyes toward the wound, Blake watched Yang slather her arm in ointment and lay gauze over it. The blonde then lifted her arm and began to carefully wrap it with a bandage. When she was done, she let her have her arm back and flashed a quick look at her ears, making Blake feel uncertain again.

“Oh… Er,” Yang fidgeted. “I’ve never had classes with Faunus before, so I haven’t really had much time to interact with you guys. Sorry, if I’m making it weird.”

“Oh, um, it’s… okay???” Blake wasn’t sure how to handle this. Talking wasn’t usually her forte.

“I guess, you’ll be staying here tonight, since, well, you’re kinda’ locked in here now,” the blonde let out a weak laugh. “Um, we have a couch or you can stay in my room. I know it’ll be a little awkward with your arm, but you can use the bath too. Oh, and we’ll make something to eat. I’m sure you’re starving or something, right?” Blake was about to refuse but her stomach betrayed her. That was another bad thing about missions. Often times, she had to ration food and wasn’t provided enough means to purchase food every day. The older sister shooed her upstairs and left her with a pair of clothes to change into.

Still wearing the jacket, Blake looked at herself in the mirror. It had been quite some time since she had last seen herself, but she had filled out as a female quite a lot. Back in the White Fang, there was no reason to worry about that sort of thing. Adam had ordered that she keep her hair short because it was more efficient. Rings circled her eyes from lack of sleep since she so often found herself outdoors at night. One couldn’t afford to sleep when they were on their own. For her, she had to worry about the horrors of the night, just as much as she had to worry about Hunters. After leaving the Fang, she no longer had allies – only enemies… that was until Mistress Glynda had enlisted her. It still didn’t give her any less enemies. She just had a place to call home now.

Shedding her clothes, she left them on the floor and sat the jacket on the sink. She would be sure to return it to Yang once she went back downstairs. After all, it did rightfully belong to the family. The nights would just be a bit chillier, but it wasn’t anything she wasn’t already used to. She adjusted the water temperature and watched it fill up to a certain point before she put a delicate foot to it. A pleasantly warm feeling enveloped her and she slowly sat herself down in the warm liquid. Oh, how long it had been since she last soaked herself in a tub. It was so relaxing.

As she soaked, she reflected on the last few days and how she had wound up in this situation. The girls were hardly strange in behavior, but she was sure that if she stuck around them too long, Weiss’ obsession with the younger girl would lead her to Blake and she couldn’t afford that. Aggravated, she sank her head beneath the water and soaked her hair. What had she been thinking letting them bring her home? She should have sucked up the pain and left! Lifting her head from the water, she eyed a couple shampoo bottles. Citrus and strawberry? She chuckled lightly at the theme. One girl seemed to love yellow variations; and the other one, anything that screamed red.

Eyeing the bottles for another moment, Blake made her decision and squeezed it into her palm. While it would still be difficult to scrub her head with one hand, at least she didn’t have the long flowing locks the blonde did. This would be one moment where she was glad she still took Adam’s demands to heart, no matter how much she felt the blow to her femininity.

As she rinsed the suds from her hair, a familiar smell pervaded her senses. It had been quite a while since she smelled something so wonderful – something that her parents had made her when she was small.  A stinging sensation hit the back of her eyes as she wondered if they were doing this for her or if they had already planned on this to begin with. She quickly finished the rest of her bath before draining the tub and drying herself off. The task of dressing had been significantly easier than the task of bathing. Gathering her things, she walked down the stairs and was hit with an even stronger sent.

“You smell like citrus,” the blonde knowingly teased her from behind, causing her to blush. Of course, she would be the one to point that out. Then, the strangest thing happened. Yang walked up to her , placed a hand on the back of her head, pulled her close, and sniffed the top of her head. “Yep! Smells just as good on you as me!” Blake’s cheeks launched on fire and she froze, unsure of how to react to the close proximity.

“Um, here!” Blake shoved the jacket into Yang’s arms, pushing her back along with it. The blonde looked down at the jacket and spotted her father’s name. For a moment, her eyes became glassy but she smiled at Blake and hung the jacket from the stair banister.

“Uncle Qrow said a friend of his borrowed it and would probably come by to drop it off sometime.” Damn, he had planned on this, hadn’t he… “I guess I didn’t expect you to be… my age???” Well, when she thought about it, it did make sense. He was an older guy, so Yang probably thought he meant one of the guys at work – not a Hive spy that he rescued. Either way, she was thankful for the gesture. “He sure is a perv though! Now he’s going after the cute girls my age too! Dirty old man!”

“You… think I’m cute?” Blake was taken aback. The only person to have commented on her appearance was Adam and that was because cosmetic was a weapon in its own right. She should be attractive when needed, but invisible when not.

“Well, yeah! For such a short-haired kitten, you’re a cutie!” Yang grinned at the girl, closed her eyes, rubbed at her chin, and spoke to herself. “But I do have a special place for the long-haired kitty cats!”

“You… like… long hair, Xiao Long?” Blake pulled at a lock of her hair that barely covered the edges of her human ears.

“Of course, kitty! Can’t you tell?” Blake’s eyes traced along the wavy blonde mane that trailed down her back. “I wouldn’t have it any other way!” The blonde said confidently.

“Oh…” Blake was a bit disappointed with herself. In some ways, humans could be so lucky. Where she had grow up in a life where she needed to be at peak performance for infiltration, humans girls didn’t have to worry about if their hair got caught in a ventilation fan… well, unless they were Hunters in training… which Yang was… which was also quite perplexing. “I… perform at my best when it’s short like this…” Hands on her hips, Yang frowned at her.

“Performance? Screw that! You’ve got a right to look however you want! They tried to tell me to cut my hair when I entered the training program to become an Elite! Ha! Showed them!” Yang grinned proudly. “I just tied it up! We girls gotta’ take pride in ourselves, y’know!” Blake giggled at her rambunctiousness. As lively as her eyes were, Blake would never have known that just three years ago, this girl’s eyes were the most hollow she had ever seen. What she would give to be able to bounce back like that… she… admired her… so much… “You’re staring.” Yang pressed her index finger to Blake’s forehead and stuck her tongue out at her.

“Oh!” Blake backed away and tripped over herself. “I’m so sorry!”

“You got a name, kitten?” Yang smiled softly and offered her a hand. “I’m sure that it’s a little offensive if I just keep calling you by your Faunus traits.”

“Bl…” The Faunus stopped herself.

_“You are part of the family, now. The deepest respect you can give me is to say my name. We are all on first name basis here. Only outsiders need be called anything else.”_

_“_ Bluh?” Yang cocked an eyebrow at her silence and sighed after a moment. “Well, alright then, Bluh. You’ve got a funny name there!” Blake buried her face in her hands. Oh God! Why didn’t she pick a name?! She just assumed she would never have to actually talk to anyone! Her days in the White Fang had conditioned her to think that she would only have to attack, never converse.

“Well, Bluh, I hope it doesn’t make us sound racist or anything, but Rubes is making some awesome fish! That’s uh… fine, right?” Blake giggled at the uncertainty in Yang’s voice and took her hand.

“Yes, that’s more than fine.” Locking eyes, her words went a little deeper than her thoughts on the dinner menu. “It’s wonderful.”

**ooOOoo**

“You have so many clothes,” Blake said in a bewildered state as she watched the blonde fold them. Yang paused and eyed up and down for a moment.

“Do you not have any other clothes, kitty?” A moment of silence was all the blonde needed and she sighed. Yang finished folding the item in her hands and placed it down before heading to her closet. Rummaging through it, she clicked her tongue in detest at something and grumbled in debate. The blonde’s eyes sparkled for a moment and she looked back and forth between whatever was in there and Blake a few times. “A-ha! Here, kitty cat! I went through a bit of a phase and this never really suited me! Earthy tones are more my style!... Plus, my boobs are **way** too big for this now!” Blake laughed at the blonde’s goofy tone, but stopped when she laid it on her lap. “Try it on!”

“A-are you sure?”

“Yeah!” Yang’s eyes still sparkled. “Humor me! Rubes never liked playing dress-up, so let me have this this once! And if you like it, you can keep it!” Blake looked over the items handed to her and laid them out separately on the bed. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Yang had gone back to folding her remaining laundry, so Blake went about her business.

Removing the pajama pants Yang had also given her, she pulled up a pair of long black stockings that hugged snugly to her legs. Next was a white pair of shorts that stopped where the stockings began, followed by a sleeveless white undershirt that left her midriff revealed. The next piece of the outfit was something that reminded her of stories in her Victorian books. She’d never considered wearing a vest with short coattails before, but Yang’s closet was full of choices in regards to jackets and vests. They were just all in the earthy tones she had mentioned, so this definitely stuck out like a sore thumb. She put her arms through the straps of the vest and pulled it together. It clasped by a single button and offered a lift to her breasts.

“Ah! I love it!” Yang fangirled over how good the Faunus looked in her outfit. “You definitely need to keep this! Plus, it’s pretty sturdy material!” Blake blushed at the compliment and shrank inward. It felt good but she just felt so… naked… Blake never showed bare skin and the thought of her arms and midriff being out in the open scared her. “What! I’m being honest! It makes you look really good!” She eyed her once more. “Oh! One thing’s missing!” Yang slipped something behind her neck and pulled her close. Surprised at the close proximity, Blake almost missed the feeling of something sliding around her neck. “There! No lady should be without her trusty scarf! Plus, it’ll help the whole ninja thing ya’ got going on!” She winked at her and Blake lifted the free end of the scarf to bury her face, then something brushed through her hair. “Now, if you just grow this out, it’ll be **perfect**!... Ah! But your missions… It still looks great on you! Keep it!”

“Uh… um,” Blake stammered through the overstimulation she was experiencing. “Th-thank you, Xiao Long…”

“Bah!” Yang backed away and dismissed Blake with a hand, returning to her laundry. “What’s this ‘Xiao Long’ nonsense? Call me Yang!” The blonde frowned as she placed a shirt on a hanger.

“B-but that would be inappropriate!” Blake responded without thought. “It would be disrespectful to call you anything else! We aren’t that close.” Yang eyed her suspiciously and dropped her eyes to her legs.

“Well, you’re the first girl I’ve let get in my pants,” the blonde winked at her flirtatiously. “I’d say we’ve gotten pretty close!” Blake’s eyes widened and she tightened the scarf around her face as if it would hide the blush that colored her face. How could she be so lewd?! “Hahaha! Relax, kitty! I’m only teasing with you! You can take your time!” The blonde grinned slyly. “But you **will** say my name! That’s a promise!”

Blake rolled her eyes at the blonde. What was she going to do? Force her? The Faunus began to change back into the pajamas that Yang had lent her and glanced at the blonde who was now looking fondly at a piece of purple cloth with tribal looking designs in a lighter shade of purple.

“What’s that?” Yang shifted her eyes toward Blake to acknowledge her question.

“My mother gave it to me when I was little,” she said warmly. “I got lost one day and couldn’t find anyone, so I started crying. By the time she found me, I was soaked by rain. When we got somewhere dry, she bought this triple pack of bandannas. She took one out really quick  and dried me up with it, then she said, ‘Yang, when you’re feeling scared, hold this close and remember that you have a strength that no one else in this world will ever have. No matter how hard they try, no one can ever destroy the strength you give and receive from those you love. It is a power unlike any other.’” Yang paused for a moment as she stared fondly at it. “I haven’t seen her in a long time, but she kept one of them. I have the other two and I’ve never seen another like this anywhere else. I kinda’ hope… maybe, somewhere out there, she still has hers and remembers me when she looks at it. Maybe it gives her strength and one day, she’ll come home.” Looking between Blake and the bandanna, she smiled and lifted her blonde hair to tie it around her neck. Yang tucked the last piece of clothing away in her dresser and made her way toward her bed. “Time for bed, kitten!”

“Ah! G-good night!” Blake stood up to leave the room, but Yang looped an arm around her and dived into the bed. “Wh-what are you doing?!”

“Aw, haven’t you heard of a sleep over, kitty cat?” Yang grinned at her. “I’ve always wanted to have one!”

“Sleep over?!”

“Yeah, you know,” Yang looked at her as if it were the oddest question. “The thing where friends come to your house and stay the night?” Blake’s silence was answer enough for the blonde and she saw the realization hit her eyes as she figured out that feline’s life was anything but normal. “Y’know what? Nevermind! Let’s skip the explanation! It doesn’t matter! What does, is that you’re not leaving my sight ‘til that arm heals!” A sly grin spread across her face and she pulled Blake close to rub their cheeks together. “Pluuuus, I hear that I **am** pretty warm and kitties like warm places right?”

Ugh! This blonde was impossible! Blake started to push away, but Yang pulled harder and wrapped a blanket around them. As hard as she tried to be mad at her, there was just no way she could. After all, Yang was right. She was appealing to her inner feline and she was pleasantly warm, in an extremely soothing manner.

“Whaaaat?” Blake’s ear flicked as the blonde slid her chin over her shoulder and squeezed more tightly. “Has the kitty never cuddled before?” Blake curled up to herself, reflecting on her insecurities. She didn’t really interacted with many people because she wasn’t confident. Usually, if the mission entailed it, she would invent a character to play and stick to it, but she just hadn’t been prepared for this scenario. Intimacy was never something she specialized in, but she liked this. “I-I’m sorry if I made it awkward…” Having lost her confidence, she felt Yang’s arm loosen and withdraw, but even if it was greedy, Blake wasn’t ready for this feeling of closeness to disappear.

“Nggg,” Blake trapped Yang’s between her thigh and stomach. It was embarrassing to say out loud what she wanted, but she didn’t want it to stop. Thankfully, Yang seemed to get it and relaxed back into her.

“Heheh,” Yang chuckled warmly. “That’s all you had to say.”

“Thank you…” Blake whispered quietly. “…Yang…” Blake felt the blonde catch her breath and become still a moment. Her arms squeezed around her again and Yang buried face in the small of Blake’s back.

“Anytime… kitty.”

**ooOOoo**

 Blake looked over the side of the building she stood atop and watched as Weiss exited a building, accompanied by a blonde boy and red-headed girl. Having woken up after the girls had gone to school, she had been in a rush to leave before they returned. She was supposed to be tailing Weiss!  She leaned forward and something crinkled in her pocket that she hadn’t noticed earlier. For the moment, she would push that to the side and check out who was with the Schnee daughter.

Pulling up names on her Scroll phone, she verified the identities of one Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc. Hmmm, one of the top upcoming Hunters and the son of the Arc House of Wolves that loyally followed the Schnee. She would have to be careful when tailing Weiss, especially with these two around. The wolf boy shouted something proudly as he tried to impress the young heiress and Weiss rolled her eyes, before waving to them and splitting off in the direction of her home. That was when whatever was in her pocket crinkled again.

Fishing it out, the scent of citrus heavily pervaded her senses and she felt herself go into a lull as she recalled the blonde’s warmth. Shaking herself back to reality, she found that it was a small envelope that held something soft inside. Using one of her nails, she sliced it open and removed the paper within. There was a flash of purple and her eyes went wide and she hurriedly opened the note.

_“Well, Bluh,_

_I figure you’ll be gone before Rubes and I get home. It’s been nice meeting you, and thanks for trying to help out! (Even though I totally saved your butt, haha!) It could have been a real **cat** astrophe! Joke aside though, next time, it’s your turn to save me! Oh, and take good care of this! I only have one more! _

_See ya’ around, kitty cat!_

_-Yang”_

 “… I will…” Blake held the bandana close to her nose and took in the citrusy scent the blonde had made sure to leave in it. Ah, she had thought it was strange that Yang had put it on right before she laid down. Even if the scent only lasted for a little bit, it could at least help her maintain a sense of calm. Looking at the reflective windows of the building across the way, Blake took a look at herself. She almost didn’t recognize the girl reflected in the mirror coating.

This girl wore clothes that made her feel more confident than she had in a long time, but Yang was right. Maybe she would grow her hair out… and not just because Yang liked long hair! She looked back at the bandana and wondered if this was how Weiss felt about Ruby? Maybe this was what it was like to have a crush on someone from afar? Maybe she would try to see the blonde again! Next time, she would definitely be the hero! The wind blew and rustled the letter in her fingers, revealing a few extra lines that had been scribbled across the bottom.

_“PS – I told you I’d get you to say my name! <3 Got me **feline** all warm and fuzzy!_

_PPS - I **knead** saving!… Halp **meow** t! …. Why am I this way?!_

_PPPS – Did you know that you purr in your sleep???”_

Scratch that… She could suffer… In her embarrassment, she smashed the letter into her face. How could she have lost control like?! She purred?! The blonde must have just made her daft for the night with her tempting warmth! There was no way she was holding this connoisseur of punishment in a special place!... Oh god… did she just… The blonde’s infectious humor was rubbing off on her!

“WEISS!!!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually decided to write this as the last chapter of Blake’s background. The technically “next” part to this comes in the form of another character’s POV. Yes, the end part is when Weiss died. I’ve received questions about people not recognizing characters who have interacted with each other in the past. 
> 
> If I haven’t made mention, Neptune is Yang’s childish partner who died and Weiss turned. He had longer hair and sported a surfer look and now has short hair and a more refined look and developed a matured playboyish type of personality. Weiss had short hair, as well, but now pulls it up in her side bun-tail. Ruby and Yang also never actually met her, though Yang did idolize and meet Winter. As for Blake, obviously her current appearance was influenced by Yang’s tastes lol. It’s also not quite that she doesn’t recognize her. Blake’s appearance has changed drastically, as well as her personality becoming more confident. Yang does also catch a glimpse of a purple cloth lining Blake’s skirt, which is the bandanna she gave her.
> 
> Just wondering… does anyone else write and get impatient with their own story because they know what’s coming and just want the exciting shit to get here???


	16. Ch 16: Picture Worth 1000 Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to begin by apologizing for the roughly 9300-length word chapter you are about to read lol. I debated on splitting it into two, but shit hits the fan, soooooooo yeah. Ummmm, I guess this chapter has some sort of sexually suggestive elements to it for a bit??? Idk that I would even consider it worthy of Lime rating though lol. Anyway, hope ya’ll enjoy!

 

_Holding her breath, Yang flipped the large, yellow envelope open and pulled out a series of large photographs. As she flipped through them, Blake shifted and sat up to look at them with an equally puzzled expression when suddenly Yang went stiff. The first several images focused on a combination of images that included Adam Tauros and/or Winter Schnee. Yang’s thumb brushed over the face of the woman she had once idolized. When Uncle Qrow had told her that Winter was the Elder known as the Ice Queen, she hadn’t believed him. She had died… but here she was, plain as day, standing in the Schnee standards that had been unique to the eldest daughter of Jacques Schnee – a black blazer with her signature blue snowflake stitched onto the back and a pair of black fitted cargo pants that hugged against her form. Some images placed her next to a complacent looking Beowolf, sometimes placing her next to strange crystallized versions of the beasts, while others showed her with Penny Polendina at her side... but the girl looked rather at ease with the vampire._

_The next set began to feature Adam Taurus. In each of Winter’s photos, Yang began to notice something in common in regard to the Schnee woman – she cloaked herself in his presence. Vaguely, Yang recalled that Adam detested the Schnees and there was speculation that he had been present at the scene of her death. If this was so, it was no wonder she went to this pain to hide herself, but if they were working together, why? If one of Adam’s men had acquired this, there was no doubt in Yang’s mind that Adam would have discovered her identity. Did Uncle Qrow know this?_

_The current photo depicted an exchange between the two where a open file sat on a table in front of the bull Faunus that contained two pictures. The next photo zoomed in on the table to get a better look at the subject of the photos, revealing headshots of both Yang and Ruby. Whatever it was that Adam had planned for them, Winter was helping them, and this brought back that familiar boiling feeling she had felt in the Faunus’ grasp… but then there was something else – something reflected in the window… Was that her mother?_

_The individual had black and a figure very reminiscent to the distinct features of Raven. Even the uniform and sword that she carried fit the description. After all, just like Winter, Raven had also attained a rank where she was permitted personalized fatigues. Team STRQ had been at a level of their own that required them to stand out, but this only raised more questions. If she was spying on Adam and Winter, then who was she working for? The information had landed in Junior’s hands and almost the White Fang’s. If it were intended for the Schnee, then how was it intercepted?… Did this mean that her mother was in danger?! Was this why she never came back?_

_“Are you alright?” Riddled with concern, Blake’s voice brought Yang back to reality and she felt her nerves calm. Why was she still getting so worked up over someone who was never coming back? That’s the way it was. In a world where creatures of Darkforge existed, people simply disappeared one day and never resurfaced. When they did, it was always followed by a series of unfortunate events. The best you could hope for was that they stayed missing because the reality was far worse._

_“Mom…” Blake lowered her eyes to where Yang pointed and saw the reflection, as well._

_“Your mother is spying on the White Fang?”_

_“I don’t know.” Yangs grit her teeth. “I just know that she wasn’t there when Rubes and I needed her the most.” Angered, Yang pulled the photo away and shoved it to the back to look at the next one, which painted an all too familiar scene. While the photo was close, it had been taken from a great distance, based on the overhead angle. A large snake-like Grimm had coiled itself around Yang and she could recall the feeling of the air being squeezed from her lungs as it tightened. Some sort of golden aura glowed around her and her eyes were a bright red hue. “What the?... That can’t be right.” Feeling Blake’s fists clench the blanket, she looked at the next photo and held them side-by-side. She was the same in both photos._

_In disbelief, she laid out the rest of the photos, which told a very concerning story. In a blackout rage, Yang had ripped out its bottom jaw and split the creature in half. Having managed to free herself from the ice cage, Blake had attempted to calm her down, but Yang turned on her and dealt a strong blow to her face. The last two pictures showed Yatsuhashi knocking her out and carrying her over his shoulder… But Yang couldn’t recall any of this._

_Taking this all in, Yang digested it for a moment. All she remembered was suffocating and then there was an electric sensation throughout her body… then everything went white… then black. When she had awoken in the hospital, she had truly believed that the hot Faunus, sniper, and quirky hover boarder trio had rescued her, but they hadn’t. As hard as it was for her to believe, something sleeping within her had come to life and given her a strength that rivaled monsters, but it had robbed her of her awareness. Looking at the girl in the image, she couldn’t tell the difference between the rage in her eyes and the insanity of a Frenzying vampire and it made her unsure of what upset her more – that her eyes burned with the color of a vampire’s or that her mother had been there and did nothing, save for taking pictures!!! On top of that, Yang had assaulted Blake! How could she even be sitting here with her?! In shame, Yang withdrew from Blake but she was stopped._

_“I’m not mad…” Blake began. “It happened. It’s in the past.”_

_“That’s not okay!” Yang growled at herself in frustration. “I don’t even remember it!”_

_“I don’t expect you to! It happens differently for everyone with a Holy affinity. With your ancestry, it doesn’t surprise me that you have difficulty suppressing your anger and lost yourself in it.”_

_“A what-ity?” Yang narrowed her eyes at Blake suspiciously and the feline averted her eyes. “Look, Blake, for this thing between you and me to even have a chance to start, I need answers… And if you’re hiding something…” Blake considered for a moment and sighed._

_“I’m not hiding anything!” Two stubborn pairs of eyes stared each other down. “… Look, I promise to explain more, but I need to find my partner first.”_

_“Blake, I’m tired of being put off for later,” Yang turned Blake around to face her. “I want some damn answers.”_

_“And I’ll give them to you!” Blake bit back at her. “But I need her first because she has a better understanding than I do. Holy isn’t something I’m experienced with, and my understanding is that it’s not like Lightforge, like we all thought! They reject each other, as well as Darkforge and Unholy!”_

_“And your partner is the authority on this Holy thing?”_

_“I’m not sure that you would call it that,” Blake said thoughtfully. “It’s more like a ‘guarding dark secrets being passed down through the line’ type thing. So, in a way, yes???” Blake inhaled in an effort to clear her head. “I know enough to have a basic understanding of what it does – which is, it’s lethal to Darkforge Class Freaks, so I should avoid interacting with it.” Yang flinched at the words. That meant that she should avoid Yang, which stung a bit. ”I most likely don’t know enough to answer the questions that you have. Really, the only thing that I can say on the subject is that your family doesn’t make any genetic sense and it gives all of you these astounding abilities that give you the potential threat across the board... I’m,” Blake hesitated for moment, but she told Yang that she wasn’t going to hide anything._

_“You’re?” Yang tried to coax the rest out of her._

_“My partner and I are ambassadors for our affiliation,” Blake looked down. “We’re supposed to meet with the Schnee in a few days to negotiation the acquisition of you and your sister.” She could feel Yang glare at her. “Danger is heading toward the Schnee and the two of you will be instrumental in stopping everything. While The Council is an obstacle, we’re aiming to stop everything from the source – something far more sinister that dates back even further than vampires, but neither of you will be safe, especially with how Jacques Schnee runs things…”_

_“Is that why you got close to me?”_

_“What?! No!” Blake’s ears went flat and she looked offended. “No, you threw a wrench in that plan. I had every intention of waiting until after we speak with him before approaching you! We didn’t want to be underhanded about it or try to sway your opinions on us! Please, believe me, Yang! Why else would I tell you this?” Yang stared at her in an expressionless manner and then suddenly, smiled and gave her a thumb up._

_“Ok! I trust ya’, kitten!” The sudden change threw her off and she fell back. She almost had a heart attack over the whole thing and Yang was just as chipper as when she had woken up. The blonde jumped up and put the pictures back in order and_ slid them _back into the envelope. “Well, what are you waiting for? We’ve got a package to deliver and a partner to locate.” She pulled Blake up to a standing position. “Consider yourself on probation, kitty cat! Before I decide if you guys right for me and Rubes, I want to start making sense of things. There aren’t enough good looks on this planet for me to put her safety on the line.” Though she winked at Blake playfully, there was something empty inside her eyes that made her next words feel dangerous. “Right now, she’s my entire world.”_

**ooOOoo**

After that whole debacle, they headed back to town and ran into Ruby and Jaune. Yang had, of course, done her sisterly duty and teased the pair relentlessly about their “finally date”, despite their protests. She did find it a bit aggravating that Ruby recognized Blake immediately, though. That was supposed to be her thing!... So she teased Blake into chasing her instead… and she **loved** it! Which was how they ran into their current situation.

“Well gee,” Yang deadpanned. “You coulda’ told me you were friends with the headmaster…”

“Oh, hush!” Blake scolded her. “It’s not like it mattered!”

“Oh, you say that **now** ,” Yang rolled her eyes as they waited outside the headmaster’s door. “But that secretary didn’t clear out his schedule for me to see him!” The moment the secretary had seen Blake, she told her that she could squeeze in some time for an audience with the headmaster.

“Ladies,” a tall man with tan skin, messily tossed taupe-colored hair, and the strangest forest green eyes Yang had ever seen beckoned to them. With a burst of yellow and orange encircling his pupils, she was mesmerized by the mysterious pools of color that belonged to an equally mysterious man. “Ahem, this way!”

Extending a white-gloved hand in the direction of the door he had just come from, he welcomed them into his office. This was the first time she had met Headmaster Oscar Pine in person and he certainly left an impression. Knowing Uncle Qrow’s familiarity with him, she had assumed him to be much older – a graying old man, in fact! Not this devilishly handsome young man that looked to be in his mid 20s. Could he have been headmaster’s son and taken over? No… she had at least spoken to him once before and this was the same voice.

As they walked in, he waited for them to pass and chuckled at Yang as her eyes stayed glued to him. Taking in greater details about him, he stood tall, with a dignified grace to himself and carried a straight cane in his free. A dark brown, almost black, suede trench coat fit perfectly to his form, accented by pristine cuts. It cut off about midcalf, splitting into two coat tails, ending with a matching set of pants neatly tucked into half-calf boots. Beneath the coat, he wore a white button up shirt and a dark green tie. Had there been no shine to it, she most certainly would have mistaken it for black.

“Ow!”

“Yang!” Blake hissed at her as she rubbed the spot in her side where Blake has just elbowed her. “Stop staring!”

“Oh, what,” Yang grinned. “Jealous I’m looking at someone else, Blakey?” Blake’s eyes widened and she blushed darkly before they narrowed at her. “Sheesh! I was kidding!”

“Blakey?” The headmaster smirked mischievously at the feline knowingly. “I see you got your wish.”

“Wish?” Yang cocked her head to the side.

“Why yes,” he chuckled. “I had begun to wonder how it was that our infamous Yang Xiao Long had gotten one of my best so wrapped up in her.” He looked up in thought and tapped his chin. “I believe it’s been almost three years that she’s been asking me about your well-being!”

“Oh, really?” Catching the feline in question waving her arms in an effort to silence the headmaster, Yang grinned at her slyly and Blake’s ears flattened at her own mental picture of the blonde’s thoughts. She was definitely going to hear about this later.

“Aaaah, enough about that!” Blake changed the subject. “Yang has something to deliver to you.” The headmaster smiled at the use of the blonde’s first name, but decided to forgo the teasing this time. Having inherited her father’s knack for horrible humor, he knew that Yang could get carried away very easily and the matter at hand had seemed rather urgent.

“Yes,” he circled around to his and stood behind it. “What did you have for me, Miss Xiao Long?” His eyes zeroed in on the large envelope sitting in her hands. The blonde’s eyes lowered and her grip tightened. Shifting uneasily, she debated on handing it over but ultimately decided it was the best chance she had at answers.

Accepting it, he opened it and looked through the images. Yang held her breath, praying that he could offer something to put her mind ease. Focusing intently on each one and interpreting his own version of the details, he scoured every part of each image. When he reached the last one, he looked up at Yang, then back to the image, then back to her once more and she lowered her head in shame.

“Your reluctance to look me in the eyes tells me that you have also looked over these, Miss Xiao Long?” Wrapping her arms around herself, she nodded without looking at him. “How did you come to possess these?”

“Uncle Qrow killed a White Fang operative that was dealing with one of Junior’s men,” Yang heard Blake’s breath hitch at the mention. That’s right… She hadn’t told her that part. “He looked through it and asked me to deliver it. There was too much going on for him to bring it himself and he didn’t want to abandon his post, but thought it needed to get here quickly, and I was headed home.”

“Ah, then I take it that you were told not to look.” He stated more than asked, but she nodded anyway. “While I will not scold you for it, there are things in here that were not meant for your eyes.”

“Sir,” Yang began. “I was already aware of the situation with those considered Anomalies and the identity of the Ice Queen. Right now, I am more concerned with whatever is happening to me and the appearance of my mother. Ironwood’s daughter is with Winter, as well.”

“Yes, that was recently reported to me via another associate. I had not heard of your condition surfacing though…” He was silent for a moment. “Who was it that filed the report?”

“Yatsuhashi, sir. If you would like, I can file my own.”

“That won’t be necessary,” he waved the idea off and looked at Blake, as well. “You had Yatsuhashi do well, Blake. Thank you for having this handled in the appropriate manner. I’d like to keep this off the record for the time being - at least, until after your meeting with Jacques. There’s no telling what he’ll do with this information.”

“Sir?” Yang wasn’t sure what she was getting wrapped up in, but it was clear that whatever happened was not normal… Was it just her? Or did the headmaster appear to be in direct support of whatever Blake was involved in? At one point, she had mentioned that she and her partner were the right and left hands to whoever was truly pulling the strings. Was it possible that Ruby and Yang were now the centerpieces in a mutiny against the Schnee family?

“For the time being,” he stacked the photos together and inserted them back into the envelope. “I would like you to accompany Miss Xiao Long home, Miss Blake. Things are going to get interesting from here on out. Have you explained anything to Miss Xiao Long?”

“With all due respect, Oscar, I need to find my partner.” Blake said adamantly. “At which point, I will be happy to follow her home, but this takes priority at the moment. I need her in order to fully explain everythi-”

“This is an order, Blake.” The tone of his voice was final. “I would not worry much on the matter. You will run into her soon enough.”

“She vanished more than a month ago,” Blake growled. “Without a word! She could be in danger or God knows what else she could have gotten herself into, with the way she acts!... And the way you said that… Do **you** know where she is?!”

“Hmmm,” the headmaster hummed to himself and smiled. “I wonder.”

“Oh! She can check in with you but not me?!” Stress permeating through her voice, Blake felt extremely betrayed. She was supposed to be this woman’s lifeline and vice-versa! “Seriously, Oscar! I need to kn-“. A hand suddenly patted on her head and ruffled her hair.

“You will run into her soon. That I can promise,” he repeated himself in a sagely manner beyond his years and smiled with a warm sadness. “For now, let her do as she needs. In some ways, I fear that both of you have had to grow up far too quickly, far too soon.” He cast a look at Yang, as well. “All of you have.”

**ooOOoo**

“Well, that was an interesting conversation, Blakey,” Yang said as she set Bumblebee in the garage. “Blake?” The feline scoured to herself at the entrance of the garage with her arms crossed, grumbling to herself about how unhappy she was with her orders. “Look, you’re supposed to accompany me home, right?”

“Yes! Was it that hard to give me an answer about my partner?!” She said unhappily. “I just wish he wasn’t so cryptic!”

“Oh, Headmaster Oscar?” Yang waved it off. “He’s always that way! It’s the first time I’ve met him in person, but I’ve talked with him several times. He checks on Rubes and I a lot.” Yang smiled fondly. “Y’know, it’s kinda’ nice to feel like someone outside the family cares enough to keep an eye on us.”

“Yang…” Blake cringed inwardly at the warm way she regarded Oscar… If only she knew the truth behind what Oscar Pine really was…

“Look, we haven’t eaten today and I feel like you’re a liiiiittle on the hangry side.” Blake scoffed at the accusation. “Hear me out! Come inside and eat something with me, then we can go looking for this myyyysteeeeerious partner of yours!” Blake gave her a strange look but Yang stopped her before she could speak. “Now before you say anything, yeah, he said accompany me home, but he didn’t say that we had to **stay** home!” Yang opened the door on the other side of the garage that led into the kitchen. “Eh? Eh?”

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Blake rolled her eyes and walked through the door. “Otherwise, I’d have almost thought you were convincing.”

“Oh, you know I try, kitty cat!” Yang adopted a flirtatious tone and followed close behind.

The setup was different, but she supposed that they had been moved around multiple times over the years to keep their locations secret. It was a cute little home though - checkered tiles on the kitchen floor and cheery curtains, with everything still being the red and yellow theme that she remembered. It definitely screamed of the Xiao Long-Rose sisters and she smiled fondly at the memory of the night she spent with them. As she soaked in the features, Yang pressed up behind her and wrapped her arms around her, nuzzling into her neck.

“Yang…” Blake turned around in her arms, wrapped hers around her neck, and let Yang slip her arms around her waist beneath her trench coat to pull her close.

“You’re getting a little brazen, kitten,” Yang said with a dangerous seduction and touched their foreheads together. “Saying my name so often today… I wonder,” She traced a nail up Blake’s open back, causing her to shiver. “Do you call me Xiao Long when you talk to the headmaster? Or was it just hard to say my name around me?”

“Nnnn,” Blake whined and tried to resist the blonde’s advances, but it was too late. Her hands had landed on her rear, and with a lifting pressure, Blake found herself jumping into her arms and wrapping her legs around her waist. Locking eyes, Yang carried her to the kitchen table and perched her on top, keeping her legs wrapped around her to maintain the close proximity… She was right though… Blake referred to Yang by her first name when in the company of those she was close with, but it had been different when they were face-to-face.

 _“We need to get Yang to the hospital!”_ Yatsuhashi thought that it was hilarious that Blake had called her by her name the moment he knocked the blonde out… Damn bear… But the feeling of closeness it added to this situation wasn’t helping Blake to regain her senses at all.

“You know, I could help you get some of that frustration out and you can say my name as much as you want.” With a lustful stare, Yang pushed her back and hovered over her. “Rubes won’t be home for a while and I think we could both use a nice, hot shower.”

“I thought you s-said you were h-hungry.” Though her mind screamed at her to stop, her body clung to the blonde and put up minimal resist as Yang breathed into her neck, tracing her lips along the bare skin and giving a quick nibble to her ear.

“There’s more than one kind of hunger, kitten.” Oh God, it was that tone that sent over the edge. Blake pulled in close and Yang obliged, pushing into her. With a commanding presence unlike Blake was used to, she lifted the Faunus’ chin and let her melt into her fingers as her lips drew closer.

“Xiao Long! I’m glad you’re ho-“. The two froze as an unexpected presence entered the room.

**ooOOoo**

“Uuuuuh,” Yang looked back and forth between the Elite frozen in the doorway and the Faunus draped around her in a very suggestive manner. “Hi, Weiss!”

“You!”

“Oh, shit!” Weiss turned around to flee, but tripped as a cord wrapped around her like it had a life of its own and held her in place on the ground. “Oh, c’mon Blake!”

“You have no idea how long I’ve been looking for you!” Blake yelled. “How much stress you’ve caused me! You are the **bane** of my existence!"

“Oh, c’mon!” Weiss argued back. “I’m not **that** bad!”

“My life has been a living hell since we got partnered up!!!”

“Hey,” Weiss snapped. “I never said I wasn’t bad! Just not **that** bad!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” Yang cut into the conversation. “ **Weiss** is your partner?!” Yang’s heart stopped when she realized that her gut feeling about Weiss had, in fact, been correct.

“If I had known she was here the entire time,” Blake tightened her whip as Weiss squirmed before her. “I would have liberated you of this pain in the ass **much** sooner!” Feeling Weiss try to inch herself away, Blake glared at her again and yanked her back. “You were **specifically** told to stay away from them!”

“And I tried, but if I recall correctly, you **also** weren’t supposed to go near them!” Weiss huffed. “And I think them surviving is a bit more important than some stupid regulation about not swaying their opinions!” Blake eyed her suspiciously. “Besides, I never told them anything. I’m sure they’ve had a lot of questions since day one, but I haven’t given anything away. I’ve only answered as much as I’m permitted, Blake!”

“So I was right…” A heat emanated from Yang, reminding them of the girl’s presence. Shit, Blake had totally forgotten in her anger. “You’re not associated to the Schnee, at all… and you’ve been in my house this whole time.”

“Now wait a second, Xiao Long!” Weiss began.

“Can it, Snow White! You’ve lied about damn near everything since you’ve been here and I knew it!” She glared at both of them. “It was so obvious… You both used my last name and share the same awkwardness about names… You’ve never called Ruby by her last name… I wonder why that is…” A sudden epiphany hit the blonde. “And what about your disease? Is that a god damn lie too?”

“Disease?” Blake thought about it for a moment and her eyes went wide. “That’s right… I’ve been so caught up with the other things that I’d almost forgotten… I need to get you back as soon as possible before you relapse.”

“Blake, don’t worry about it.” Weiss stood up and rubbed at her neck. “I’m totally fine!”

“Wait,” Blake looked at her whip with confusion. There was no way. “How did you get out of that?”

“You forget, Blake. Figuring things out is what I do.” Weiss winked. “You manipulated it by channeling Darkforge into it. All I have to do is apply a wave of Lightforge around my body to neutralize it.”

“… Oh yeah,” Blake deadpanned. “Sometimes, I forget you can do that… But what do you mean _you’re fine_?”

“I just took my last pill the other day. I’ve been able to ration them and not run into any problems. I think my body is metabolizing it at a slower rate now, so they’re lasting longer. It also helps that I haven’t had very many energy-consuming altercations.” Weiss looked at her earnestly. “As much as Ruby will hate it, I was planning on spending a little time with her tonight and then coming back tonight. The meeting is tomorrow, correct?”

 “Yes,” Blake nodded in affirmation. “We are scheduled to meet with Mr. Schnee tomorrow and if I have to drag you back by your hair, I will!” The shudder that ran up Weiss’ spine didn’t go unnoticed by Yang, but she decided to pay close attention for the time being. Clearly, with these two, examining every part of them would be key to deciphering the truth from the lies and half-truths.

“Listen, I’m tying up some loose ends right now.”

“Oh? What could possibly be so important that you can push back urgent matters?!” Blake’s voice was full of skepticism. “And if you even **think** about saying _Ruby_ , I swear to God I will kill you where you stand...”

“Hey,” Yang shouted. “That’s my sister you’re talking about, Blake!” Blake really needed to chill out before Yang seriously got pissed off. Whatever issues she and Weiss had, they needed to hash them out and not bring Ruby into it.

 “… I was hoping to get past the brunt of your anger when I returned tonight and have you help me…” Weiss shifted her eyes uncomfortably. “I’m trying to get Penny Polendina back tonight.”

“… You’re the one…”

“Excuse me?” Weiss was completely confused by her feline partner’s accusation.

“…You’re the one who filed the report with Oscar…” Blake’s heartless voice was as low as her ears were flattened.

“What?” Weiss furrowed her brow. “I haven’t seen Oscar since before I left base. What do you mean?”

“Well, if it wasn’t you, then who else would know about Winter’s possession of the Polendina girl? The info just came to Yang and this has been the first that I’ve heard of her disappearance.”

“Yang?...” It was weird for the blonde to hear her voice come from pale-themed girl’s mouth as she eyed Blake suspiciously. “How sweet. Finally saying her name in person, I see?” Seriously??? Yang was shocked. She had been kidding when she suggested that Blake said her name to the people around her. It was just some… “lighthearted”… teasing… Yeah… teasing…“Tch, it must have been those bird-brained idiots we have for assistants.”

“Oh… the guys,” Blake pressed a palm to her forehead and let out a sigh. “That makes sense. They can’t keep quiet about anything.” Blake paused for a moment and glared at her again. “You’re only doing this because Miss Rose asked…”

“That’s not true! I have another reason and it benefits us in the long run! But don’t act like you didn’t go against orders and go all gaga for Xiao Long! I heard from Yatsu all about the flirting and inappropriate comments!”

“Yatsu saved us from a shit ton of paperwork and it wasn’t **that** bad!”

“I’ve had to listen to all the fantasies this blonde oaf has concocted about _the hot faunus with the **phat** booty_ who happens to pretty much be a sister to me!”

“Weiss, I don’t think I ever want to hear those words come out of your mouth again…” If she could, Blake honestly hoped to delete that last 30 seconds of conversation.

“How do you think I feel? I had to **say** it!”

“Um, yeah, guys,” Yang inserted herself into the conversation. “Hate to cut in, but this is kind of **my** house and I’m about to get really **pissed off** if I don’t get some answers.” The amount of calm in Yang voice was rather threatening, but then it changed. “… So I take it Weiss is the missing partner you’ve been raving about this whole time?” Quirking an eyebrow in concern at the light tone the blonde had taken, Blake nodded, earning a laugh from her. “Well, if you had stuck around a little longer at the hospital, she came with Rubes that night!”

“Really?” Blake felt like a ton of bricks had just hit her and looked to Weiss for confirmation. The white-clad girl nodded and Blake slammed her face into the table and sat down. It was like a little black cloud was following her everywhere, taking every opportunity it could to rain on her parade. Could anything else go wrong when it came to her luck with Weiss?

“And I take it this means that you’re not an Elite?” Taking a low tone, her lilac eyes turned a dangerous red hue to match her mood and Weiss’ eyes widened. “Which means you lied to me.”

“Holy shit,” Weiss looked to Blake. “I didn’t realize she had actually Awakened. I thought she was still in the process.” Blake grimaced and shook her head.

“No,” her ears flattened as she lamented. “I can vouch. Adam forced it out of her by feeding her information that should’ve been given to her in a controlled environment. The poor timing came as an emotional trigger and forced it into action in an act of desperation. I firmly believe he used the entire situation as a catalyst to light the Heaven’s Flame within her.”

“Are you sure it’s the Flame, Blake?” Weiss seemed very perplexed. “It can be confused for the Light, as well.”

“No, Weiss,” Blake shook her head. “I’m certain. The Flame is wild and aggressive, while the Light is gentle and pure when it cleanses. She lost herself in a blind fit of rage and attacked me. Yatsu had to knock her out in order to turn it off. You can thank him for leaving it out of their paperwork, by the way.”

“Um hello?” Yang interjected. “Me. Here. You. Explain. Now?”

“Oh, right,” Weiss sat down. “Gaaah, I really wanted to hold this off for a couple more days, but with all of this, we can’t afford to wait anymore… I really did want Ruby here for the rest of it.”

“The rest of- wait! You’ve told Rubes about this stuff?!” Yang shrieked and Blake narrowed her eyes at her partner.

“I thought you said you didn’t give anything confidential away!”

“And I didn’t!” Weiss bit back. “While you two were flirting and unlocking latent powers, I was correcting the half-assed lies in Beacon’s curriculum before she gets herself killed! They teach about Light and Darkforges, but not Holy and Unholy. Ruby is aware that her sister possesses Holy and that there is a possibility that she may as well, but no guarantee.”

“Uh, I would classify that as confidential, Weiss.”

“No,” Weiss said firmly. “Any idiot could look up information about Tai Xiao Long’s position as a Specialist with an affinity for Holy. His children may have even seen mentions of it, but thought it was a reference to his church because it isn’t something openly discussed in classes. That fact alone diminishes its importance. I did learn something very important about Ruby though.” Blake’s ears perked up at this and Yang became very concerned.

“When compared with Xiao Long, I do not actually believe that Ruby possesses Holy within herself.” Weiss looked at Yang and hesitated. “She was able to successfully maintain a Lightforge coating around Myrtenaster on her first try…”

What?! Yang let that sink in for a minute. After all the hard work she had put in, her baby sister could use Lightforge? This was a bittersweet moment for Yang. Sure, she was proud of her, but there was a lot of hurt in this moment. She had tried so hard and it felt like she’d never make it to an Elite class, but now Ruby could do it if she wanted to. Unfortunately, Beacon didn’t seem to want Ruby to have any sort of field position, which meant it was wasted on her! Why Ruby, when Yang was someone who was constantly in the field to begin with?! She swallowed and tried to calm her nerves as she listened on.

“So, you think that Rose is like you???” Both their eyes shifted to check on Yang, before they continued on. She had become oddly silent and they had an idea of what she was thinking. It was very much appreciated that she was trying to maintain herself and not freak out. After all, Yang had to know there was more.

“Not really,” Weiss shook her head. “It didn’t feel right. I believe Ruby may have begun an Awakening of her own, but as to what it is, I can’t say. I wasn’t around Summer long enough to see hers used, so there’s no way that I can know what to look for.” Weiss was silent as she considered the situation. “What I do know is that she was able to breach the Forge emanating from Myrtenaster without disrupting it. If anything, the wavelength was a little unsteady, but near perfect. At first, I speculated that she may be able to produce Lightforge, but it looks more to be that she can stabilize a continuous current if it is already in place. I do not know what this means, in regard to the true strength she has. I do have one speculation about it, which may even be bold enough to refer to the Rose Family name.”

“And that is?”

“I’ve speculated for a while that this particular name is passed down to all Rose children. The name has always been more than that. It’s been an identifying characteristic that says _This child holds this power_. It’s a target on their head.” Weiss grimaced. “As with the flower they are named after, a stem drinks in nutrients from the ground so that it may flourish, but its thorns protect it. I believe that it is somewhere in the realm of possibility that the Rose family can absorb power and use it… and if that is indeed how it works, then I just unknowingly gave Ruby Rose the power to manipulate Lightforge, which would explain how Summer Rose had an affinity for it, despite the fact that she could not produce it for the first 17 years of her life. Team STRQ itself had a 0% compatibility rating for Lightforge, and then suddenly Summer Rose was the only one that could use it.”

“Wait, what do you mean the only one?” Yang asked in disbelief. “Everyone on our parents’ team was human. There’s no way that they couldn’t use Lightforge to some degree.” Blake and Weiss looked at each other and then back to Yang with a grimace. “I don’t like that look…” Yang’s heart skipped and she became painfully nervous. “What do I not know?”

“Do you know how Lightforge works, Yang?” Blake’s voice was soft.

“Yeah, special humans can absorb sunlight, repurpose it for the use of others, and then the rest of us use them.”

“Well, you’re not wrong, Yang, but you’re not right,” Weiss said solemnly. “Ruby had a similar understanding, but Ruby also has no combat experience. What you mentioned is what makes the difference between an ordinary human and someone who can qualify to be an Elite.”

“What I’m asking Yang is: Do you know why humans can use Lightforge and Faunus and Werebeasts can’t? Theoretically, the only ones who shouldn’t be able to are vampires, because it would kill them, but while it causes a mild discomfort to us, Lightforge is neither effective nor usable for Faunus and Weres.”

“Are you sure?” This was really confusing Yang. When were they unable to use Lightforge.

“Have you ever seen Yatsuhashi use a Lightforge-coated close-combat weapon?” Blake cocked her head. “Guns don’t count. They are a bit different in terms of mechanics.”

“Well, now that I think about it, no. I guess not. He uses a giant sword and a shotgun. I’ve always thought it was risky that his weapon is silver though. That could be dangerous for him.” Yang looked up in thought. “Hmmm, Jaune’s the same too – a silver sword and an AR.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about the danger, Xiao Long. It’s very risky for Beast class Freaks to use silver, but most that do are very skilled.”

“So, what does this have to do with how Lightforge works?”

“Well, to put it simply, Beast Freaks do not contain Lightforge within them. They utilize Dark. All humans absorb Lightforge to some degree, even if they do not have an affinity for it, and that’s what makes it usable. It operates by synchronizing with the pre-existing Lightforge and the body becomes a conduit that channels the current. This is why when a weapon leaves the owner’s hand, Lightforge dissipates, and if touched, becomes disrupted. You may have noticed that Forge appears to be single use, except in the hands of Elites.”

“Are you trying to say that our parents aren’t human?” Yang turned very serious. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but if you haven’t noticed,” Yang held her arms open and presented herself. “I’m human.”

“Well, Yang,” Blake looked away and danced around the subject. “The thing is-“

“You’re mother is a Faunus.”

“Weiss!”

“You are taking too long, trying not to hurt her feelings!” Weiss snapped. “I would much rather rip the band-aid off now and get it over with, so that we can stop dancing around the subject! My way is fast – yours is slow!”

“Weiss, you’re full of shit!” Yang’s eyes glowed brightly. “If either of my parents were Faunus, I would show Faunus traits and if you haven’t noticed, I’m not classified as a Freak of any kind.”

“Xiao Long, I do not think that you understand what a Freak is,” Weiss said calmly. “Every member of your family is considered a Freak. There are Inhumans, and then there are Human Freaks. A Freak is defined as anything that possesses an abnormal skill and has a 0% compatibility rating for Lightforge. In other words, they are the human version of Anomalies. We cannot classify them as human, but we cannot definitively say that they are not. They are more of a mutation, so to speak.” Weiss drew circles with her finger around the table. “In the case of humans Tai Xiao Long and Summer Rose, they are both considered Human Anomalies.”

“And what about Raven and Uncle Qrow?” Yang growled. “You honestly expect me to believe that they’re not human.”

“You’re not going to listen to me, are you?” The two locked eyes in a very tense moment. “Very well, suit yourself. I can give you proof, you know.”

“What?” Both Blake and Yang asked in unison.

“I admire your respect for Ruby’s privacy.” Yang looked at her skeptically. Where the hell was this going? “All the proof you need is in a photo on her nightstand. I was very surprised when she told me that you hadn’t seen it.” Yang virtually bolted out of the room.

“Really, Weiss?” Blake hissed at her. “Are you serious?!”

“Yes,” the ex-huntress sighed. “It’s the only way she’ll listen.” After several intense minutes, the blonde finally returned down the stairs, with a photograph in hand and slumped into her chair. She never even looked at them, but touched her hand to the photo.

“Uncle Qrow and mom are twins,” Yang gritted her teeth and spoke with a broken voice. “Why don’t they look the same?” It wasn’t quite anger that came from her voice, but she was definitely upset. Yang was likely trying to cope with the unbelievable truth. “Is that how it is? Is that why I don’t look like a Faunus?... Wait,” Yang let go of the picture and grasped the sides of her head. “Does that make me a Faunus? That means that I can’t use Lightforge… and I have no chances of entering the Elites…”

“Yang,” Blake spoke as the blonde dug her nails into her scalp. “It’s more complicated than that. Your uncle alters his appearance for your sake. I… noticed this the day that I met you. I assumed it was because of the events that happened eight years ago.” The blonde lifted her head to look at her and the sight nearly broke Blake’s heart. Even when she was taking a beating, Yang never looked so helpless, but it was to be expected. The girl’s world had literally just come crashing down around her. Everything she knew was a lie. Even her mind was altering her memories to help her cope with the past.

“I…” Yang sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I… chased her away…”

“What do you mean?” Blake was puzzled, but Yang said nothing as she drowned herself in her mind. Unsure of what to do, she looked to Weiss for guidance, but all she offered was a slow shake of her head to indicate she wasn’t sure either.

“I’ll leave the room for a moment,” Weiss said quietly and Blake panicked. She didn’t know what to do. “You’re a Faunus. She needs this.” Weiss patted her shoulders firmly and gave her a serious look. “I’ll be upstairs. Call me if you need me.” Blake’s eyes trailed her partner as she left and she mentally cursed to herself. Fuck! What was she supposed to do?!

“It’s like I can kinda’ recall some things,” Yang curled into herself. “She wasn’t home when Oz-… when it happened… All I could focus on were the red eyes. I could hear their screams, Blake! Their cries!” The tears poured freely. “They told me to hide Ruby and keep her quiet and I did! I took her to my secret spot – the crawlspace I used whenever we played hide-and-seek; she didn’t know what that was - and I covered her ears to make sure she wasn’t listening! I made her look at me, but I heard everything!...” Yang’s rage died out and her expression became something that Blake hadn’t seen since she had looked through the RWQWST files. They were same lifeless eyes that had been robbed of their light in Yang’s file. “Mom got their too late and when I saw her, I… Uncle Qrow too… I screamed about their eyes and how they were monsters…” Yang’s voice became small as she spoke to herself. “… But why did he stay… Is that why he doesn’t come home?... Is it… me?...”

“Yang,” Blake had moved around the table to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, snapping her out of the insanity she was drawing herself into. “Your uncle does this because he loves you and wants you to be safe. He’s trying to end the problem before you get involved.”

“I already am!” Yang shouted angrily – her eyes blazing red again- and Blake withdrew. Realizing she had scared her, Yang tried her best to calm herself down, but it was a difficult task. “I’m sorry. I just…” Yang let out a labored breath and clenched her head again. “What am I?!”

Blake’s eyes widened in realization. Yang was having an identity crisis. This entire time, she had been taught that Freaks were monsters and she had likely pursued and killed many of them with an extreme prejudice. In this short time, she had just learned that she possessed blood that made her an Anomaly in both the Human and Inhuman worlds. She wasn’t human, but she was; just like she possessed the bird tribe’s blood, but wasn’t Faunus. In a way, Blake felt she could relate.

All these years, she had been chasing the dream of equality, but in all the wrong ways. Adam was keen on murder and held no remorse. He would have rather seen humans fall to their obvious superiority. Even her arrangement with Glynda had not been the most savory of ways to go about her ideals, but they were far better. It had been Weiss, the heiress of the Schnee Guild that encouraged that very prejudice, who had changed her mind. She recalled holding the body of the newly turned and feverishly unfed girl and handing her over to Glynda.

In that moment, Blake felt that she had abandoned her cause for a new one – the world that Weiss had dreamed of. A world where fear was unneeded among all life forms, be they Human or Inhuman… and that was when Hive came to be. Blake was no longer _a Faunus_ , even though that was her race. She was simply Blake… and Weiss was no longer a _Schnee_ , nor was she a _vampire_ , nor _The Circadian_. She was just Weiss. Blake smiled at the frail girl in front of her and pulled her close in a hug.

“You are Yang,” she spoke with a soothing voice. “My Yang, but Yang nonetheless.” Wow, she supposed that sounded a little possessive, but when Yang relaxed into her, she decided roll with it. “You don’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations but your own. A label means nothing. It’s just a way to divide us, so don’t bother with that. Just be Yang.” There was a short pause before Yang sat up and met her eyes.

“Your Yang?” She asked with a smile and Blake sank her head.

“Yes, that Yang.” Damn, she did catch that…

“I’ll try. So,” she sniffled again. “How does this whole Faunus thing work?” Blake shook her head.

“You have Faunus blood because of the Branwens, but you’re not Faunus because of the Xiao Long side.” Blake explained. “Holy purges the body of the ability to synchronize, store, and produce both Light and Darkforges. No one is sure why it affects Lightforge, but as a human, it ensures that you don’t have to worry about turning if you are bitten. If you think about it like this, Darkforge infects Lightforge and that is what creates the change. Once a little bit of it enters the bloodstream, the body begins to manufacture Darkforge and rewire itself. Holy inhibits and even obliterates it. Most likely, your body keeps trying to produce Darkforge, but the Holy in you destroys it. That would explain why your eyes turn red.”

“My eyes turn red?!”

“Oh, sorry…” Blake averted her eyes. “I thought you might have noticed at some point. Um, the Branwen family have red eyes, like all bird Faunus. Unfortunately, they are often mistaken for vampires, so they keep their feathers. When you become upset, your body most likely tries to produce Darkforge and the Holy within you fights with it for dominance, now that it’s Awakened.”

“I… see…”

“You know, if you decide to come with us, we can help you understand things more…” Blake looked down. “You wouldn’t be able to become an Elite though.”

“If what you’re saying is true,” Yang grimaced. “I wouldn’t be able to anyway. Rubes stands a better chance at that.”

“Well, I won’t make you decide right now.” Blake assured her. “We haven’t even spoken to Mr. Schnee yet.”

“I’ve already made up my mind.”

“You haven’t had time to think yet.”

“Don’t need it,” Yang said firmly. “What’s your stance on vampires?” Ah, this was gonna’ be tricky. “I just remembered that Weiss has a vampire and Faunus friend. I assume they are the guys you were talking about earlier. One of them also mentioned that **Blake** was looking for her.”

“They met with her and didn’t tell me?!” Blake screeched. “Those **assholes**! They knew this whole damn time!”

“Blake?” Ah, Yang wanted an answer… There was no avoiding that. Blake withdrew her arms and took a breath.

“I used to be part of the White Fang. That’s how I met Adam,” Blake held herself. “That’s when the Fang started making deals and working for The Council and it sickened me. One day, Adam asked that I spy on a summit The Council was holding and I was caught…” Yang’s eyes widened. “Before they could do anything, I felt my body go limp and I was swallow by this thick darkness. Everything went cold and I knew I was dead…” The Faunus shivered as she recalled it. “But then there was light, and for the first time, I woke up in a warm bed, with a warm meal and hot, running water. The infected wounds I had suffered were treated and I was given new clothes. I was taught to read and my skills honed so that I would never live in fear of my own kind or any other. When I had awakened, the vampire who I thought had killed me had spared my life. She told me that if I wanted to destroy The Council, I would need allies on all fronts – be they human, Beast, Faunus, or vampire… We’ve come a long way, Yang. The vampire you’re speaking of has never fed on anyone. I’m sure you wondered how many he killed. I won’t say that he didn’t become irrational. He was very bad, but with our support and the support of his Sire, he made it through without spilling any blood. We now have alternative methods to blood for them.”

“You’re from the Hive Syndicate, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“What can you tell me about the Hive Elder?”

“Yang, what are y-“

“She sucks.” Weiss’ voice boomed from the doorway. “Kinda’ just vanishes and does what she wants. Currently, she’s one of the main reps of the Hive Syndicate. The Schnee want her dead and The Council wants her head. Unification of all species is her goal because there’s a threat far greater than vampires and werewolves out there. Her target is far bigger, but I guess when it comes down to it, she just wants everyone to get along.”

“What could possibly be worse than The Council?”

“How about trying to remove the source of Darkforge itself?” Weiss proposed. “If that’s gone, then there’s nothing for Darkforge to sync up with and then everyone gets to be _Just Them_.” Yang contemplated things for a moment. If she and Ruby were to go with Weiss, that meant exposing Ruby to vampires and unsanctioned Werebeasts. She supposed that meant that many of the Hive Syndicate’s agents were double agents, which would probably include The White Fang, as well as The Council…

“Will Rubes really be safe in a place like that?” Yang clenched her fists. She didn’t really care about herself as much, but Ruby needed to be safe. All these years, her baby sister kept her grounded and was the soul reason she kept on going. Time hadn’t been kind to them, and all they had done was lose the people important to them, but as long they were there for each other, they could cope. “How can she be safe among vampires and White Fang? What sort of protection does she have if I’m not always around?!”

“Xiao Long, I would never put Ruby in danger.” Weiss looked at her seriously. “Someone will always be with her. Anyone who tries to harm her will be dealt with appropriately. I have zero tolerance for betrayal.” Blake shuddered at how ice cold her partner’s voice had gotten.

All too well, Blake knew how merciless Weiss became when it came to Ruby. There had been a point in time where a vampire member had made a comment about handing Ruby over to The Council and just being done with it. Weiss had dragged him off somewhere and they didn’t find him until they heard his screams in the morning. They found him impaled and left on display, burning away with the sun’s light. After that, no one ever tried to cross Weiss. Though she appeared and acted human, she most certainly possessed the capacity to be as deranged as any member of The Council.

“I see,” Yang went quiet for a moment and stared back at the photo and smiled sadly. “Y’know, Mom used to tease Uncle Qrow about how proud he was when he got his feathers when I was born and how jealous he was of her for getting them in school. He called me the good luck baby because it was like I put an end to his bad luck.” The two looked at the blonde with a pained look. “I don’t feel very lucky.”

“Yang, I-“ The front door opened and slammed shut and heavy footsteps trampled through the hall and into the kitchen, alerting everyone to Ruby’s presence. Panting loudly, she was completely disheveled and out of breath. Her silver eyes scanned across the kitchen and as soon as they came across Weiss, she dove into her, tackling her in her seat.

“Okay, I missed you too, Ruby, but this is a bit much!” Ruby pulled away from Weiss, revealing her tear-stricken face and Weiss immediately placed her hands on her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Jaune!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we learned more about what’s going on with Yang, her family, some stuff about Lightforge, that Weiss/Blake are partners and reps for the Hive Syndicate, they are trying to acquire the sisters, Adam wants Yang for her “Heaven’s Flame”, Yang blacked out when it activated and hit Blake, Yang’s a freak (in both the Holy/Horny kind of ways), Blake has secretly been calling Yang by her name behind her back, and Yang is having an identity crisis… Holy shit, I put a lot of info in that chapter O_o I must hate blondes or something because I’ve put them both through some shit… In all honesty though, Jaune is fairing a lot better than Yang. He’s confronted his demons and learned to accept and grow from his friends’ deaths, while the Yang of this story does have some mental complications that will appear more and more often as we go. Blake has been noting throughout chapters strange behaviors, such as Yang being upset by something and then suddenly her attitude completely changes, as well as the hollowness that sometimes takes over her eyes. I can say that in those moments, Yang is generally reliving something, but draws a blank when she comes back to reality. This chapter marks the first time where she attempts to remember something. There will be a chapter later on that goes over the Xiao Long-Rose incident but it won’t be for a while. It’s probably gonna’ be a fairly decent length story.


	17. Snow In German

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas guys! I dropped chapters for LF, LF:R, and Frequency G between yesterday and today! Hope your holidays have been well! I'm actually gonna' catch you guys up with a few for LF today though!

 

Their heels clacked over the marble floors as they walked down a cold grey hall, with a glossy sheen. For the last few minutes, Jaune had been incredibly quiet as if he were on a mission. Finding her friend’s seriousness a bit discomforting, Ruby looked along many silver lettered black plaques that systematically lined the walls. Each one had a name written at the top, followed by dates of birth and death, ranging from babies to people well into their years. At the bottom, were always fond words of remembrance or praise highlighting their accomplishment as a Hunter. The sheer amount on this wall alone was a strong reminder of just how many lives has been lost  in the war against the Children of the Night and it went on for many more walls in infinitely many more halls that Ruby knew would continuously being added. Somewhere among these many halls, her parents’ remains had been stored and she supposed she could pay her respects today, as well. At last, they stood in front of two glass doors that spanned a single Schnee Snowflake emblem frosted across them.

Upon entering the room, an immediate gust of chilled air blew into them and Ruby noticed the drastic change into temperature that made up the chill of the chamber. In fact, she dared to compare it to a refrigerator. Why so cold to store the ashes of their fallen comrades? She shook her head and filed away the thought for later. The Schnee were always known for liking things colder, but if she had known, she would have brought something warmer to school with her. But alas, a memorial site was the last place she had envisioned going to. Jaune continued to move toward the immediately adjacent wall from the door and stood before it, gathering himself.

Looking over the wall, they had also been done in a similar format to the ones in the outside hallways. However, these plaques were significantly larger and made with a white marble. With the names and lamentations of their loved ones written in a strong blue font, the words almost floated above the glossy markers. Overall, it lent a sleek and icy accent to the stones befitting of the freezing temperature of the room. That was when she noticed that every single person had the same last name – Schnee.

_“Ruby, did you know that Schnee is Snow in German??? Isn’t that awesome?! Let’s read Snow White tonight!!!”_

That’s right… Sometimes, Mom would add little bit of information Ruby knew was useless when she told her bedtime stories but Ruby thought it so cool. It added absolutely nothing to the story of Snow White, but she felt it created a sort of mysticism that hadn’t been there before. It made her feel like she knew something that most other kids didn’t know, and that in turn, made her feel very proud. Smiling at the memory, she glanced at Jaune and found him with his hands together as he offered a prayer to someone. Maybe he was offering a prayer to Winter Schnee? She had heard that Jaune was close to the family - even that his family was supposed to be a guardian to those they shared a generation with. Having finished his silent prayer, he opened his eyes and offered a smile to Ruby as his hands came to rest at his sides.

“Ruby, I wanted to introduce you to my friend.” His smile softened. “I guess things got a little hectic, but the day she died, I promised her that I would introduce the two of you. She was so excited, but I guess the world can be a cruel place…” His smile fell and his fists began to shake. “That Winchester bastard… She was supposed to walk home. She was always aware so aware of her surroundings, but just that **one** time… I heard the screams of bystanders and everything. People started crowding and it was so noisy that Pyrrha and I went to see what happened…” A few tears ran down his face. “That’s when I saw her body on the ground… Those immaculately white clothes she always kept so pristine, stained red...” Ruby placed a hand on his shoulder to offer comfort and he blinked away his tears to look at her with anger. “He must have been flying down the street to hit her that hard. We found out that Cardin had skipped out of class that day and stolen one of his parent’s cars to go joyriding. He raided their alcohol stash, thought he’d drive at high speed through a high foot-traffic area, and hit her. Weiss was supposed to inherit the Schnee Guild but she never even got her chance Ruby!”

“Weiss?” Ruby’s eyes widened at the name. There was no way… She looked over the wall and located a place with the name ‘Weiss Schnee’ across it. Where every other plaque had various accomplishments listed, Weiss’ was bare, save for her name.

_“My name is Ruby Rose! Pleasure to meet you!”_

_“Weiss Schh-now… Snow!”_

_“Hahaha, well, it’s good to meet you Miss Schnow. Come on in!”_

Ruby pressed a hand to her eye. It was so obvious. Her maybe-i-dunno-sorta-hopefully love interest had almost revealed herself. There was no way that it was just coincidence. Ruby had started putting together the truth about Weiss, but hadn’t imagined that Yang was right to accuse her of being a Schnee. To some degree, Ruby’s friends should have been aware of Weiss’ existence because of Jaune and Pyrrha’s association with the Schnee. It explained why Weiss so was actively avoiding meeting Ruby’s friends, despite any illusions of subtlety the former heiress had… But Ruby had never imagined that Weiss may be trying to spare Jaune of the torment he would feel seeing her… Weiss really did have a kind heart – even if she thought she hid it behind her cold exterior towards others. But this revelation brought on another problem…

If Jaune found out she was alive, he would be required to kill Weiss under Beacon’s most sacred teaching - Death granted absolute release. It purified the souls of the tainted and absolved them of their worldly sins against man. Faunus and Werebeasts, like Jaune, were taught that they had to work harder to attain the same enlightenment that vampires were so easily granted. Where the Children of the Night simply had to die, the more beastly Freaks had to earn their absolution by cleansing the world of the vampire scourge. Those who were not branded and swore no loyalty to a guild were hunted and declared to be unsalvageable. The teachings said that their souls would stalk the Earth until finally resting in Hell, where they would serve an eternal penance. Only those in service to humanity were granted reprieve and the Arc family had served dutifully since man and beast had first joined, forever labeling them as “Schnee dogs”. Rumors even claimed they were the first to approach the Schnee with the ceasefire that developed the first form of sanctuary from Hunters and enlisted them under the human cause.

 “What was she like?” Ruby tried to mask her nervousness. Hopefully, Jaune wouldn’t pick up on it and would think she was just unsure of how to comfort him.

“Weiss?” He perked up with a smile and scratched the back of his head. “She was really something! Constantly, turned me down every time I asked her out, hahaha!” … Oh… “Nah, she used to scold me about how I looked like a half-decent guy when I wanted to. She was very intelligent and equally inspiring, but she could come off as really cold sometimes, especially when she wasn’t familiar with a person.” She really was the same person. “Funny story, the reason she wanted to meet you was to apologize.”

“Apologize???” What did Weiss have to apologize for? Ruby didn’t even know that Winter Schnee had a sister, let alone that they were so close in age. She had always speculated that Jaune and Pyrrha were serving Winter. How had she been kept so under the radar???

“Well,” Jaune chuckled to himself as he recalled the memory. “She said that you bumped into her at the Beacon Christmas Dance.” Ruby eyes widened as she recalled the irritated girl in white that had made her cry. That was Weiss??? Holy crap, she looked so different back then! At least, she had gotten nicer. “She said that she had been trying to meet you for a while and she tried to apologize, but you ran away, hahaha. I felt bad so I said I’d try to help her smooth things out with you. I’m a little late on that though.” Ah, so that’s how it was. Was Weiss still trying to make up for yelling at her, even after all this time? Ruby had once heard that when vampires returned to their senses, they sometimes obsessed over their dying thought. Maybe she was driven to make up her treatment of Ruby?... But that seemed… too simple.

“Apology accepted!” Ruby bowed slightly and spoke earnestly. It did feel a bit silly knowing that Weiss was probably in her room right now, but she knew this would be important to him. For now, she would play along and try to figure out a way to ease Jaune into the idea of Weiss not being dead. Hopefully, Weiss wouldn’t run when she told her tonight that she was starting to understand things and was hoping to make something work, since she was aware of her relationship with Jaune… relationship… “Thank you for taking care of Jaune! I’m in his care now and I hope he’s been living up to your expectations!” A reminder echoed in her mind as she recalled Weiss stated that no one around her was an acceptable guardian. That would probably sting a lot if Jaune had heard her say that. Oh man… She really did have high standards.

“Thanks, Ruby,” Jaune smiled. “That means a lot.” He turned to look at Weiss’ plaque and laughed. “She really is something, Weiss. I’m sorry I couldn’t bring her sooner, but I’m sure you understand. We’re gonna’ go see Pyrrha and I promise I’ll be back soon. I have a feeling that things are going to get exciting and I’ll have a lot of stories to tell you!”

The visit to Pyrrha’s plaque was very much the same. The biggest difference was that Ruby had known Pyrrha very well. Jaune told her that Pyrrha was going to help with introducing her to Weiss and about how they used to tease Weiss over the fact that she was into girls. He lamented that this was when he realized he needed to give up on her, but she tried to make it up to him by setting him up with Pyrrha. She had supported him so much, but ultimately, it seemed like all the women he loved died. For the remainder of the visit, Ruby had become absent-minded as she panicked over the revelation of just how well Jaune knew Weiss – so much that time had flown by and she had forgotten that she had wanted to visit her parents… Well, maybe next time – it was getting super late.

“Things are different this time around, Ruby.” He ruffled her hair as they left the building. “I have the power to protect now – knowledge, strength, will power. I won’t lose someone else that I love!” Aw, he was so sw-…

 _“LOVE-LOVe-LOve-Love-love…”_ Ruby froze in place and zoned out as word echoed through her mind. Whatever else he was saying was drowned out by the overpowering repetition that bounced against the acoustics of her head.

“Uh, Ruby?” He looked back at her with a confused face. “What’s wrong?” He stared at her for a moment longer and she blushed brightly and covered her face. For a few more moments, he studied her and tried to figure out what happened, when it hit him. “Ah! No, I meant like a little sister!!! I love you like a sister! Ah! So stupid!” He smacked himself in the head. “Stupid, stupid!”

“Ah, Jaune! Stop before you hurt yourself!” Ruby pulled his arm down and scolded him. As she bickered over his arm, he noticed a strange boy with grey hair and a tan girl with pale green hair watching them intently. This didn’t feel right. “That’s not good to do! What if you give yourself a concussion?!”

“I’m not gonna’ get a concussion!” He swatted her off, keeping an eye on the two. “We should probably get you home before it gets too late.” She deflated and started moving forward.

“Yes, daaaaaad.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault you live so far away!” They turned around a corner and he noticed from his peripheral that the two were following them. Shit… that wasn’t good at all. “Ruby…”

“Huh?” She looked at him curiously.

“You remember how I said I’m going to protect you?” He asked with a serious voice.

“Yeah?” Now he was worrying her.

“When I tell you to run, you need to run as fast as you can.” His voice had turned serious. “And I mean all the way home.”

“What?!” Worry filled her eyes and she tried to look over her shoulder.

“Don’t look,” he said sharply. “They’ll know they don’t have the element of surprise and attack faster. I’m buying time right now. Just wait ‘til I say.”

**ooOOoo**

“And then- and then,” Ruby began to stutter frantically. “And then, Jaune told me to run and I ran all the way here! When I looked back, they were holding him down and hitting him and they’re going to kill him! Weiss, please save Jaune!” Weiss’ eyes went wide as she froze. Here Ruby was, asking her to help another friend – one who would most certainly be driven insane and turn on her the moment she arrived. She couldn’t afford to reveal herself yet.

“Rubes, calm down. Take a breath,” Yang was crouching at eye level with her, focusing her eyes on hers. “Who took Jaune?” The girl took a deep breath before she spoke.

“We were coming back from a memorial and that Mercury guy was there with a girl. They were following us and when Jaune told me to run, a bunch of people in White Fang masks started chasing us. He knocked out a bunch of them, but there were a lot. They said something about looking for a blonde, a Faunus, and me… Were they talking about you and Bluh, Yang?” Weiss quirked an eye at the name.

“Bluh?”

“Long story.” Blake lamented. “Tell you later.”

“But they took Jaune, Weiss!” Ruby cried. “Please save him.” Weiss froze and began to shake. She just wasn’t prepared for this. No matter how much training she had done to try to desensitize herself, she knew that deep down she wouldn’t be able to handle the rejection of people who had formerly known her… It was why she still wore that damn cloak when she used Darkforge. To this day, only a small handful of individuals had seen her face while she was cloaked and they all worked directly with her.

“Weiss,” Blake called her name calmly. “You don’t have to. I can take care of it.”

“I’ll go with you,” Yang chimed in. “I can be your back up since someone is kinda’ being a wimp, right now.”

“No!” Both Blake and Weiss snapped at Yang in unison.

“You’ll be playing into one of Adam’s traps!” Blake yelled. “You can’t! I will do this!”

“You’re not going by yourself, Blake!” Yang gritted her teeth. “I realize Weiss is your partner and she’s not up to the task, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice yourself.” While the two bickered back and forth, Ruby searched Weiss’ eyes and took both her hands in her own. She knew Weiss could do this but only if she could save her from her own turmoil.

“Weiss Snow,” Ruby said softly. “If you’re afraid of what Jaune’s going to tell me when he sees you, I already know, Weiss, and I don’t care.” Clarity returned to Weiss’ eyes and she stared Ruby at a loss for words.

“Wh-what are you talking about?” She whispered back. “I’ve never met-“ Ruby pulled her close and hugged her.

“Did you know that Schnee means Snow in German?” Weiss’ eyes widened as Ruby spoke and the red girl felt her tense in her arms. “I visited the Schnee Memorial room with Jaune today,” Ruby whispered in her ear and let it sink in before she continued. “He was telling me about you, but I kinda’ figured everything else already. Your eyes changed color when you had that nightmare. When I said I wanted to talk tonight, it was to say that I accept that and I’m not afraid of you.” Ruby pulled away from her and looked at her with determination. “I trust you, so please save my friend!”

Shit! If there was one thing that was common knowledge about Ruby, it was just how perceptive she was. In her own right, Yang was also quite perceptive, but she hadn’t been around the blonde enough to slip up. Sleeping next to Ruby, was a different story however. How could she have allowed herself to be so careless?! Weiss grit her teeth as she panicked internally, but Ruby must have sensed it. Ruby took Weiss’ hands in her own and gave a reassuring squeeze to them. Raising her eyes to meet Ruby’s, Weiss searched them for anything to doubt, but Ruby’s eyes softened at her and there was only truth. Just past Ruby, she could see that Blake’s interest had been piqued. The feline had clearly been listening in on their conversation as she went back and forth with the blonde. Such was the curse of having a partner with more than one set of ears. The snowy haired girl’s shoulders fell and she slumped into the chair with a defeated sigh.

“I guess I’m saving your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!!!” Ruby glared at her as she mentally fumed at her, earning a grin. “Why does everyone think that?!”

“Jeez, she changed her mind awfully quick,” Yang commented. “What’d you do? Offer her sex or something?” Blake smacked her in the stomach and Yang doubled over. “Ouch!”

“No,” Weiss hissed. “Unlike your earlier display, I’m not a sexual deviant.”

“Oh, I am totally not!”

“The way you had Blake spread across the kitchen when I walked in tells a different story.”

“Oh my God, ewewewewewewewew!!!!” Ruby covered her ears. “Can we skip the gross and save Jaune?!”

“If we’re done dragging me into your bickering,” Blake cut in. “Weiss and I will go and you and Ruby need to stay here, Yang.”

“No, Blake.” Weiss said firmly. “We need to approach this in a different manner.”

“We don’t have time for you to be stubborn,” the feline hissed. “Especially if Winter is aiding Adam.”

“Exactly,” Weiss nodded her head in agreement. “That’s why you should go get “them”. There is a chance that this is a trap that Winter and Adam have set. Yang is not aware of how to use Holy yet and Adam appears to be after that for some unknown reason.” At that moment, the power flickered and shut off.

“Ah, shit,” Yang looked out the window and Weiss and Blake exchanged a look. “The whole neighborhood is down.”

“Definitely not a coincidence,” Blake said to her partner.

“Agreed.” Weiss said in thought, pulling her phone out to start a text. “Xiao Long, those friends of yours and Ruby’s – really anyone worth a salt in a fight. Can you call them over to assist you? They’ve most likely narrowed down your neighborhood and will come looking.” The sisters nodded their heads and began dialing their phones. “Blake, as much as I hate to do this, I’m sending the guys here. Xiao Long will at least be familiar enough with them to not lob their heads off.”

“Nora and Ren were with Yatsuhashi.” Ruby chimed in after a moment. “She said they were already on the way and will be here in five minutes. They live super close to us.”

“Good,” Weiss looked at Blake. “Blake, I’m going to head out now. Brief Yatsu once he’s here. Once you get back to base, send **them** to The White Fang’s closest safe house. That’s most likely where they are and I’ll need as much back up as possible. I can hold my own for a bit, but it’ll get complicated if I’m trying to retrieve the wolf and Winter is there as well.”

“Alright, Weiss,” Blake’s eyes followed the ivory girl as she darted out the door, leaping over the tall cement wall that gated the Xiao Long-Rose household.

“Blake, what’s going on?” Yang’s voice was full of worry and Blake frowned.

“This is what we were afraid of happening,” Blake sighed. “They must have gotten word that we would be attempting to acquire the two of you tomorrow. Our inquiry would either put you in our care or cause the Schnee to relocate you to an on-base location, which would make it that much more difficult to reach you. You would also most likely lose your freedoms and that part is not our goal. If Winter is part of this, they are making their attempt now, which will cause our audience with the Schnee to backfire. It will incriminate us if we put in a request. Adam’s style is to inflict as much mistrust as possible and hit where it will hurt most. Winter Schnee is well aware of the Hive Syndicate’s cause and her involvement with Adam will provide him endless insight on manipulating relations between guilds.”

“But that’s not what’s going on!” Ruby shouted.

“Ruby, think,” Yang said roughly. “A vampire who resembles the Hive vampire, and Ironwood has mistaken for Winter, is aiding the White Fang. The White Fang has taken a Schnee trainee from a well-known House and is using him as leverage to get to us. What do you think the higher ups will believe? It won’t matter what we say. Blake and Weiss will be walking into a guaranteed death at that point.” Blake’s phone buzzed at this point and she looked at the screen with relief.

“You two stay here. Yatsu says they are here.” She reopened the door and looked back. “I’m going to brief him on the situation and then be off. Please stay safe.” Blake rushed out the door and greeted the bear Faunus, letting him in. Nora barreled in, running into the house to see Ruby and Yang, while Ren followed at a more leisurely pace and posted himself at the door. “Yatsu…” While all three of them had the slight sheen of sweat on them, Yatsu looked completely disheveled.

“They’re all over the place, Belladonna,” he grimaced. “We ran into a small group on the way here. We’ll be lucky if others didn’t follow, but we managed to dispatch of the ones that spotted us. We should be moving them onto the Schnee base.”

“It’s too dangerous to move them, right now.” Blake bit at her thumbnail and looked away in thought. “We need to wait it out. They don’t know where they are yet.”

“Yet,” Yatsuhashi emphasized. “They will keep looking and they **will** find them. It’s just a matter of time.” Blake’s ears flattened in irritation. He was right…

“Wait for the guys to get here and then move as a unit.” She was clearly not happy with having to make this decision and the expression on her face told of the disgust she felt with the idea. “Take them to the Hive Syndicate… We will return them with you in the morning to be sure nothing makes us suspicious.”

“Alright,” he nodded. “I can live with this, as long as they are safe for the night.” Blake hopped onto the top of the wall and crouched down, surveying the neighborhood for a safe path and any signs of White Fang. While there were none, she could vaguely make out what looked like a rabbit Faunus and a girl with a beret on top of her head skulking around in indirect paths.

“It looks like Yang’s friends are almost here,” she stated more to herself than the bear. “The guys won’t be too far behind, but I’m going on ahead and sending help to Weiss.” His eyes widened at what that implied.

“Things are going to get very hectic, Bell.”

“I know,” she said solemnly before she leapt away.

“Oh, so she couldn’t even say bye?!” Yang declared in mock offense, earning an eye roll from Yatsuhashi – at least, she assumed so, since the man never seemed to open them. Off in the distance, the blonde caught the Faunus leaping away and smirked. “If I wasn’t clear enough before, I’d like to reiterate the whole **_legs for days_** statement.” Outside the walls, they could hear the march of feet and the scurrying of several bodies… Shit… They weren’t ready…

**ooOOoo**

Another fist slammed into his face and he spat blood from his swollen lips. For the last hour, he had been tied to this post and beaten relentlessly, but he refused to give in. Blood poured from his nose and covered his shirt as it traveled down his neck and he knew that if he made it out, he’d have to get a new uniform… This wasn’t how he saw today going when he got up this morning, but he should have known. He always had the worst luck, but at least he had managed to buy Ruby enough time to escape - one good deed. Would that be enough to earn his way into salvation?

“Make this easier on yourself, kid!”  A large hulking man barked from above him. While he didn’t look it, Jaune could tell from his smell that he was holding a wolf at bay, just like him. “This hurts me a lot more than you – doing this to my own kind… The sooner you tell me where the Xiao Long-Rose family is hiding, the sooner I can end this.”

“I dunno’, man!” Jaune cried back. “I dunno’ anything about where they stay!”

“Bullshit!” Jaune’s face jerked violently with the contact from the man’s fist and he coughed as a foot planted into his chest. “You were with one of them earlier! We happen to know that you’ve been assigned to a guardianship role for the youngest one. Don’t fuck with me, Arc.”

How the fuck did he know about this particular guardianship role?! The only ones that should know anything about his assignments were those within the Schnee. The last thing that was known was that he had taken up a guardianship role for the youngest Schnee daughter, but even that was confidential. Weiss’ very existence was confidential! She seldom made appearances and most students didn’t know about her, until they began to spot a younger girl that was like a mirror to Winter. Even then, they still kept her away to the point most thought she had just been a figment of the imaginations of Winter’s fans.

“Seriously man,” Jaune pleaded. “She’s just some girl I hang out with at school!”

“I find that pretty unlikely with you being from the Arc Family.” His interrogator twisted his face in distaste. “Now, I’m gonna’ give you one last chance to…” A scream came from just outside the hydraulic door. If Jaune had to guess he’d say he was being held captive in a hangar of some sort that the Fang was somehow keeping under wraps. “The hell?”

The man cautiously approached a smaller man-sized door that veered off to the side. As he drew closer, gunfire began to sound off and suddenly several thuds connected with the hydraulic door, leaving dents in them large enough to have been made by a man-sized object. The door in front of him began to rattle and he hesitated before opening it. Two Faunus barged into the room, slamming the door behind them and locking it as they gasped for breath.

“What the hell is going on?!” He roared at them and they jumped up.

“S-some girl is launching an all-out assault on the base, s-sir!”

“Some girl?! By herself?!” He shrieked and they lowered their heads in shame. “How is a lone girl causing this much trouble?!”

“Sh-she’s not normal!” One of them squeaked out. “The way she uses Lightforge is beyond that of an Elite”

“Oho?” A feminine voice laughed curiously from behind Jaune, who jumped along with the other men to face her. Behind him was a vampiress cloaked in tattered Darkforge. “How amusing.”

“The Ice Queen! M-madam!” The werewolf bowed his head at her presence and placed a fist over his heart, then barked at the two Faunus. “Show some respect!” The two jumped at his order and mirrored him.

“No need for that.” This voice was so familiar to Jaune… Why was that? “I’m not one of you, nor do I have any intention of becoming so. We are simply serving each other’s purposes for the time being.”

“R-right,” the werewolf stammered. “What should we do about this… Elite?” He wasn’t sure if the lone rogue should be classified as such.

“Tell me,” the vampire’s voice filled with humor as she materialized a chair from the tatters of her cloak and sat on it. She crossed one leg over the other and rested her arm on the chair’s arm, with her chin perched on her hand, and grinned. “What is so impressive about her?”

“She’s using glyphs...” Jaune’s faced paled at the thought. No one had been able to use Lightforge in that manner since the Schnee sisters. How was that possible? Through the scraggled darkness, the vampire’s lips parted to show a set of teeth that grew with a demented grin.

“Wonderful!” Another significantly larger object slammed into the hangar door, denting it even further. With another slam, it caved in and a body flew past her, tumbling across the ground. Excitedly, she turned around to see that it had been a Fang operative. Looking back at the door eagerly, she spoke as if taking in a breath of fresh air. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her **this** aggressive!”

**ooOOoo**

Ugh! There were so many other ways that this could have gone! Why did it have to be that some asshole happened to run into her? Now, Weiss had to go with the all-out assault back up plan. If it had gone her way, stealth was her choice, but that was more along Blake’s skill set than hers. Weiss was more than efficient as a ground unit, while Blake was more suited to espionage type tactics. The unfortunate aspect of this was that she was severely limited with what she could do. While Ruby had said she knew her secret, Weiss didn’t know exactly how much she knew and she was already aware that Jaune could pick it up the moment he saw her. If she could get through this without revealing herself, that would be ideal. Sadly, she now had to go in guns blazing… and blaze, they did!

Several Faunus charged the chain link gate from the boathouse and the security hut near the hangar on the dock. They lined up and opened fire on her, but she charged forward and leapt over the gate, shielding herself with a translucent shield of light that became more opaque where each bullet impacted. Since Faunus and werebeasts made up the ranks of the White Fang, she wasn’t going to take any chances and decided to use silver bullets.

Weiss drew the pistol on her left that she knew had been loaded with the nitrates. The remaining pistol would be left for emergency usage, in the event it escalated to vampire warfare. If she were lucky, Winter wouldn’t show her face and everything could go swimmingly… Just beyond the docks to her right, she caught sight of boats and the sound of water sloshing beneath them… Of course, they were near water… That pun was so not intended and this was the literal worst place for her to be fighting right now. Mentally, she needed to make sure she stayed as far away as possible from the water. In small amounts, she could handle it, but this was an endless quantity of both water **and** salt. Right now, she still had the benefit of them believing her to be human.

Letting the shield phase away, she fired at each of her enemies, dispatching of a good amount of them. When she landed, two men attempted to grab her and get her to the ground. As she was lowered, she offered a bit of resistance, but grinned when a bright symbol glowed to life on the ground beneath her. The men gasped as they levitated from the concrete, and with a burst of energy, she sent the poor bastards flying through piles of wooden crates and into the large hydraulic door of an an even larger warehouse. Huh… Well, that would be as obvious of a place as any for thugs to hold someone captive – even if they were organized thugs.

Weiss stood and began to calmly walk in the direction of the hangar, but two of the Fang members changed into their wereforms. Two remaining Faunus shrieked and ran toward the hangar, rattling at the door, before finally being let in. Yep, just as soon as she was done with these two asshats. A large bipedal wolf and tiger-like creature circled around her, looking for an opening. They each swiped at her, in an attempt to fake her out and keep her from guessing which would attack first. Suddenly, the wolf growled and set back on its haunches. Weiss prepared her blade to intercept him, but the tiger jumped in first.

The tiger pinned her down and the wolf observed from the outside, still on edge. When its partner didn’t move, it knew something was wrong. The tiger’s body began to steam and returned to its human form, revealing the silver blade of Myrtenaster piercing through its stomach. The wolf growled and leapt at Weiss, but a glyph appeared in front of him, sending him flying backwards at an alarmed rate. He felt himself connect with the steel door, realizing he was embedded in it when he didn’t fall. Pushing forward, he attempted to dislodge himself, but his eyes caught sight of his partner flying toward him at a blinding speed. Scrambling, he managed to get himself free, but the former tiger flew right through the hangar door as the metal reached its limit and gave way.

Ears drooping, he looked back at the menacing attacker with horror. A dark monstrous aura exuded from her, raging around her in disarray, despite her bright appearance and affinity for Lightforge. For a moment, he thought he saw a flash of red in her eyes, but he blinked and the aura and color returned to a tamer form. Just who were they up against?!

**CLAP CLAP CLAP**

He looked back to find the Elder that Adam was so fond of clapping in amusement. This damn vampire was getting a kick out of the beating they were taking and doing nothing about it. They weren’t here for her amusement! In the very least, she could offer some assistance! He growled at her and she laughed.

“Oh, no!” She pressed a single hand to her chest. “I’ll wait!” She then pointed past him. “I wouldn’t look away if I were you.”

The werewolf turned back to face the snow-haired woman, but she was already on him. She thrust her blade down with a sickening slosh and everything went silent.

“Weiss?!” Weiss’ face went pale as she recognized Jaune’s voice. She tilted her head slightly to see the boy’s eyes wide with shock. Shit… She had failed… But next to him was something even worse.

“Baby sister!” The Ice Queen declared. “How long has it been? Two?... No, three years?!” Irritated at the lack of attention she was receiving, the vampire began to snap obnoxiously. “Weiss, forget him. He’s not important. Haven’t you been looking forward to this day?”

“B-baby,” Jaune began to tremble as he looked at the Elder beside him. “S-sister?”

“That’s right.” The cloak began to deteriorate, revealing Winter, sitting smugly, still clothed in her Schnee fatigues.

“B-but,” his brain overloaded and he began to hyperventilate as he tried to interpret everything. “Both of you,” he gasped. “Are dead!” At the notion of her own death, Winter let out a dry laugh.

“No, Arc,” she stated firmly. “I have never been more alive, nor have my eyes ever been more open to the truth.”

“Why is Adam looking for Yang and Ruby?” Weiss was straight to the point.

“No, hello to your big sis?!” Winter asked in disbelief, before placing her hand about three feet from the ground. “I remember when you were about this tall, always following me around and trying to get my attenti-“

“You’re stalling,” Weiss said in irritation. “Why does he want them?” The older Schnee sister sighed and crossed her arms.

“I dunno’ what use he could **possibly** for the Xiao Long Holy ability,” Winter said as if it didn’t matter. “But he’s not looking for the Rose kid.”

“Then it doesn’t make any sense on why they’re coming for both of them.”

“Because **I** want Summer’s daughter.” The tone of Winter’s voice was just as sharp and merciless as her eyes.

“What?!” There was only one reason that Winter could want Ruby and it didn’t spell anything good for anyone… It would be the same reason that The Council wanted her. “W-Win, it’s not too late to turn back. We can help you tame your urges and work together!”

“I’m going to give you two options, Weiss.” Winter held out two fingers, effectively silencing her. “And you only get this moment to make your choice: you can join me.” She curled her middle finger inward and made a finger gun that she pointed at Weiss. “Or you can die right here.” The older sister mouthed the word POW and jerked her hand back as if to reenact recoil, earning a glare from Weiss. Clearly, there was no talking her out of this. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it as painless as possible… So?”

“Is this really how it has to be?” Weiss asked solemnly.

“Seems so.” The darker clad Schnee pocketed her hands as she awaited Weiss’ answer. Weiss grit her teeth together in a combination of frustration and defeat. She had come here to free Jaune, not fight Winter. This had definitely become one of the worst case scenarios she had dreamt of, only second to having to fight Council members. Making her decision, she tightened her grip on Myrtenaster and Lightforge coated the blade, drawing Winter’s blood red eyes. Removing her hands from her pockets, Winter stood and the chair beneath her faded into dust.

“Bad move, little sister.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re starting the OH SHIT part, as I like to call it. Hopefully, it’ll live up to everyone’s expectations! I’m super excited about where the story goes after this whole thing. I’m honestly a little leary of my actions scenes. I’ve read some stories where I’m like YO! THAT WAS HYPE AF!!! and I’m not quite sure that I can compare, but hey! Comparison is how we learn right??? I'm gonna' be 100% honest. The part we're start right now pissed off A LOT of people on FF, but give it a chance! I've been mostly forgiven because they realized I didn't do what they thought! Explanations start after everything starts to calm down.


	18. Frenzy

**AN: Aaaaah! I’m a bit late with this one! On top of it being opening week for A Wrinkle In Time, I’ve been sick as hell. I ALMOST made it through this Winter without getting sick, but then my roommate had to bring the plague home -_- I can’t believe I slept for 12 hours straight… Bruised my sides with all the damn coughing too. Ugh! Anyway, I hope this chapter lives up to expectations! Enjoy!**

**ooOOoo**

**chik chik BAAAAH**!!!

Another Faunus with a white faceplate masking their identity fell from the wall with a blast from Yatsuhashi’s shotgun. No doubt, their neighbors were fearfully huddled together in their homes. While they were safe from vampires, the simple fact was that there was nothing stopping werebeasts and Faunus from entering the premises. Vampires and their Grimm minions were warded off by the UV Lights that sat in people’s yards, but unlike Grimm, vampires had to be invited in to do any damage. It was the one thing that kept people safe in their homes, but once their gating systems were down, dwellers became mere prey to the more beastly creatures. With the neighborhood’s power grid out, a giant claw came over the wall, digging into the stone and a wolf hoisted itself over the obstacle, letting out a howl as it knocked the hulking Asian man across the yard.

“Keep Rubes inside!” Yang called back to Velvet and Cocoa.

“Yang!” Ruby grabbed for her sister, fighting as the two hunters pulled her inside. “You can’t leave me!”

“Don’t worry, Rubes! I’m not going anywhere!” _At least, I hope not…_ Yang watched as her baby sister disappeared inside. For Ruby, she had to get past this. Ruby needed her… As long as she did, there was no stopping her.

“How sweet,” a guttural voice came from in front of her… WHAT?! Since when could werebeasts talk post-change?! “You won’t be around to miss her.” The wolf swiped at her, digging its claws into the grass with a loud thud. Somersaulting backwards, Yang fired at it as she twisted through the air. It yanked itself forward at her landing point, but Yang shifted its weight over her, firing Ember Celica into its belly. The beast howled as the silver sizzled in its wound, but it wasn’t giving up. Yang trained her gun between its eyes, but suddenly her arms were yanked back and she let her weight go limp to throw off the Faunus attempting to restrain her.

As she fell back, she took advantage of his surprise and threw him over her shoulder, mercilessly firing at the Faunus Freak before her. If she had to be a ruthless killer tonight, that was who Yang Xiao Long would be… and it was exciting. A dark chuckle rumbled from deep within her chest and she marched over to the writhing beast as it devolved and shoved her gun in its now-human mouth.

“Ever heard of double-tap, motherfucker?” Her eyes glowed red with her anger and she suddenly felt nothing. It was strange how good it felt to have emptiness in place of the guilt that constantly shadowed over her decisions in moments like this. At this time, she felt nothing for the family and friends he might leave behind. Hell, she was still considered one of those loved ones that her family left behind. Just like her, they’d eventually get over it.

“Ubbah-rut?”

“DOUBLE TAP!” The .50 caliber round sent her arm flying back and splattered the contents of his cranium across the yard. Eyes focused on her weapon, she took in the red sheen that now painted her yellow weapon. After the last few times of having her ass saved, it looked like she was herself again and there was something so intoxicating about this adrenaline. Why hadn’t she felt like this in such a long time?! “Heh heh heh. Looks like tonight was a bad time to fuck with me.” The blonde turned back and a Faunus that bore witness to the act shrank away.

“Her eyes are red,” one of them gasped.

“No one told us we’d have to fight a vampire!” Another hissed.

HWIIIIS

“Damn, blondie! I didn’t think you had that kinda’ monster buried inside of you!” Someone whistled from behind them. A young man around her age with gray hair stepped forward and suddenly vanished. “You straight up merc’d his ass.” Yang turned to spot him behind her, nudging the corpse with disgust. “Well, he’s been getting on my nerves recently,” he held out his hand as if he wanted to shake. “Now, I don’t have to get my hands dirty! You did me a favor!”

Yang glared at his hand and then narrowed her eyes back on him. He seemed like he should be on the dangerous side. A twisted smirk crept across her lips and she grasped onto his hand with a crushing strength.

“My pleasure.” She pulled him forward and threw him across the yard with an inhuman strength.

**ooOOoo**

“Baaaaah,” Sun stretched himself as he walked. “This is lame, man! We gotta’ come out here and save Weiss and Blake’s objects of desire and we’re probably not gonna’ even get any thanks for it!”

“You’re the one that agreed, dude.” Neptune pointed out as they turned the corner.

“Hey,” Sun threw a hand across his heart. “Could **you** resist a request from a sexy little feline like Blake? What if it were Weiss?”

“Not so loud dude! Could you be any more obvious?” Neptune said with irritation. At this rate, they were going to get caught. As if hearing his thoughts, a White Fang member came patrolling the street and Neptune crouched behind a bush, knocking a cloud of pollen from the leaves… Ah, shit…. “Ah… aaaah…. Aaaaaah- **CHOOOO**!!!!”

The Faunus ran around the bush and caught the hiding vampire, who laughed weakly and muttered a simple “Hi”. He aimed his rifled at him and motioned for Neptune to stand and turn around. Seriously? Executions while facing away were a cliché invented for pussies. If you were gonna’ kill a man, at least have the decency to look him in the eye. At least, the guy that killed him the first time had every intention of giving him that respect, even though it was probably just to get his jollies off. A loud thud, followed by a crumpling sound came from behind Neptune and he looked over his shoulder.  With a staff in hand, Sun stood proudly over the fallen Faunus warrior and looked at him excitedly.

“High five for Team Sea Monkey, bro!” Sun raised a hand, but Neptune rolled his eyes and continued on their path.

“Thanks… Anyway,” Neptune continued their conversation. “At least, I realize I don’t have a chance with my mistress. I just like how irritated she gets when I flirt with her. It’s better than no attention at all!” The blue-haired vampire winked as he taunted the monkey Halfling. Several shots and a loud howl were heard from a couple blocks away and both boys looked at each other. That had to be where they were going. No other house in this kind of neighborhood would even remotely be desirable enough for anyone to risk taking a chance at raiding. Running at full speed, they took off in the direction of the commotion and found several White Fang soldiers littering the streets.

Recognizing them as outsiders, a large group launched an attack on them and Sun knocked them away with a combination of staff strikes and hard kicks. Adding a little flair, he spun it, planted it into the ground, and vaulted himself at a group. He barreled through them and tripped a large majority out from under their feet. Grinning proudly, he looked over his work and watched as electricity sparked between his vampire partner’s fingers. With a great force, he punched his arm into the ground and sent out a wave of electricity that shocked many of them into unconsciousness.

“Show off!” Sun shouted as a few stray waves jumped around Neptune’s person. The cerulean boy grinned mischievously at him and pulled a glowing shape from the ground that sparked with energy. “Seriously?!” Sun gaped at the trident the vampire had forged from the electricity he wielded. Sure, it was essentially a giant pitchfork, but still! Pole arms were **his** thing!

The gate to the Xiao Long-Rose household shot open and a boy with grey hair flew across the street. Something inside had dealt an extremely hard blow to him and it didn’t look pretty. After a moment, something yellow came flying at him like a bat out of hell, but he managed to regain enough sense to roll out of the way. The golden figure planted a hard right hook into the ground, splitting cement around her so that it jutted from the surface. When they identified the figures, they realized they were Mercury Black of The White Fang and Yang Xiao Long… Ah, shit… Why were her eyes red?

Behind her, something bounced over the gate, spinning in the air. With an equal force, it slammed down with a weight beyond that of its appearance, but Mercury dove away once more. When the dust settled, the strange object appeared to be that of an oversized hammer with a rather petite looking girl attached to it.

“Anyone that wants to touch my delicious little Rueben gets to kick rocks with no socks!” The bundle of energy came down heavily, once more, shifting the hammer’s weight over her, and slamming it down where Mercury should have been. “And the queen of this castle prefers her rock with a lot of rolls!” She swerved the hammer around, knocking several of the White Fang away and finally came to a stop. “I’m also willing to accept pancakes because who doesn’t like pancakes??? Everyone likes pancakes! Right, Renny?”

“Yes Nora,” a small Asian boy sighed as he walked out of the gate with a girl in red. “Everyone likes pancakes and that’s why they’re here – to steal your pancakes.”

“Those fiends!” Steam poured from her nose as she snorted in anger. “My fellow hot cake compatriots will never bear witness to such unrighteous wrong-doings again!” Nora pointed at Mercury. “Prepare yourself, you pancake pirate! You’re about to get McGangbanged! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!”

“Jesus Christ!” Mercury shouted as he dodged the almost solid metric ton of hammer flailing toward him. How was it feasibly possible for this little girl to lift something that heavy?! Did every human the Xiao Long-Rose family know defy the laws of physics?! The Circadian was one thing - she was anything but human. This, on the other hand, was completely un-fucking-real!

“Um, holy fuck, dude…” Sun stood at a loss for words. “Did they even **need** us???”

“Well, yeah…” Neptune said quietly. “How else are they gonna’ get to the Syndicate?” From the corner of his eye, Neptune caught two very different forms of movement. The first, was Yang turning around to charge at Mercury. She seemed intent on taking advantage of the confusion Nora’s rapid attacks had afforded her. The other, was a girl on top of a roof. From where he was standing, he could make out what looked like a cross between an extremely disproportionate gun and a grenade launcher…Where had he seen that before… Where???

Emitting a small amount of smoke, something propelled from the launcher and spread as it travelled through the air… toward Yang… Shit! It was a net launcher. Thinking quickly, Neptune threw his trident at it, throwing it off its course and it planted into the ground in a similar fashion to a javelin. Picking up where Neptune left off, Sun launched after the girl, but she vanished with a flash of smoke. Suddenly, a thick smoke screen enveloped the street and once it cleared, there was no sight of either Mercury nor the strange companion who had saved him.

Sighing, Neptune lifted his trident from the ground and it dissipated, letting the net fall. Seriously, he just wanted one peaceful night where things went smoothly. Unfortunately, his mistress got him into a lot of trouble, but at the end of the day it was all worth it. One day, things would go back to normal. Weiss was going to end this nonsense and then… He shot a glance at Yang as everyone jumped onto her… Maybe he could rejoin his friends in the living world once he was human again. While he was happy to see them safe, he could only feel bittersweet with how much he truly missed the happiness they gave him. It was so hard to be this close and still not exist. In fact, he imagined that this was only part of what Weiss felt on a daily basis. He mostly dealt with the underworld, while she had to blend seamlessly among both the Children of the Night, as well as the Light.

He caught Nora shoot a look at him and whisper to the group, who whispered back. Yang shot a look at him and frowned for a moment, before quickly turning back to whisper an argument back. Well, he supposed they were right to be put off by him, with what he was. A hand slammed down on his shoulder, shocking him, and Sun came up beside him.

“Don’t let it bother you, dude!” The blonde boy grinned. “We’ll catch them next time and keep your friends safe too. They’ll come around, eventually.”

“Yeah, I know…” Feeling the sadness coming from his buddy, Sun decided to change subjects.

“What I wanna’ know is: I understand that you vamps have powers that reflect your sires. How exactly does that tie into The Duchess’ coven?”  Honestly, this had perplexed him for the longest time.

“Oh! You don’t get it???” Neptune grinned at the subject. It was truly one of his favorites to discuss. “Hers is like this weird-ass physics manipulation thing where she can create physical matter and apply energy to it.” He became animated as he spoke. “I manipulate energy in the form of Friction to create static and harness electricity, bro. After that, it’s all in how I shape the energy! I could do this ALL day! I’m SO thankful I got a way to use electricity!”

“Neptune???” The vampire froze in place, slowly turning to look over his shoulder. Behind him, stood a very emotional looking Yang Xiao Long. Oh Christ, his heart was gonna’ break. Of all the people, he knew she had taken his death the worst. There was a long pause as he thought about how he should respond but he drew a blank.

“Ahem!” Sun kicked his shin and hacked loudly as he faked an uncontrollable fit of coughing. Still unsure of himself, he tapped his fingers together and gave weak laugh.

“It was the trident, wasn’t it?” He looked up at her in shame. Honestly, it was only ever when he was in her presence that he felt shame for his decision. Even at Junior’s bar, during their brief exchange, he had felt such disappointment in himself. Here stood the woman he looked up to during his days as a Hunter-In-Training and she had only blossomed into a more successful and beautiful woman – total shame that Blake laid claim to her... and that was a territorial bout he was not about to get into. The blonde began to march toward him with her hands clenched and her eyes blazing a furious red and he backed up. “Hey, hey, hey! I’m a good guy! You know that! I helped you… twice now!” He looked at the group of his former classmates. “I work for Blake and Weiss. You know, the heads of the Hive Syndica- ow! What the hell, man!”

“They don’t know that much!” Sun yelled, as Neptune rubbed the sore spot on his arm where Sun had punched him. “This is why Weiss always wants me to do the talking!”

**Hic**

“Ah…” Neptune caught a glimpse of his former partner’s trembling form, but this time without any sign of anger. If anything, she was trying to force herself to stay calm and having trouble regulating her breathing. She hiccupped air again with a high-pitched gasp and he realized that she was fighting with herself. “Uuuuh, can I get a minute, dude?” Neptune asked in a somewhat nervous tone. Recalling his buddy’s former relationship to the Xiao Long girl, Sun shrugged and turned away to give them some space. “Hey… Yang…” He reached out to touch her shoulder but held back when she flinched. Revealing that the red had faded from her lilac eyes, she lifted her eyes to reveal the tears threatening to escape them. “I’m not gonna’ bite you, if that’s what you’re worried abou-.” The vampire was cut off as the blonde dove into him and wrapped her arms around his waist as she cried into his chest.  For a moment, he was stunned but she started to weakly beat into his chest and he accepted that as his punishment for being gone so long.

“Well,” he let out a soft laugh. “It still doesn’t hurt as much as dying!”

“Dude!” Sun called back. “Not cool!” In that moment, Nora and Ruby piled onto the ex-partners. That’s right. If Neptune had known Yang, there was no doubt he knew Ruby, and by default, their close friends. Still though… This was eating at him. “Seriously?! How do **you** get all the girls?! I did most of the work!”

“How sentimental.” A low voice came from down the street, causing everyone to jerk their heads in its direction. Before them stood a darkly dressed Faunus with bright, spiked red hair that Yang recognized. With his katana’s weight on his shoulder and neck, he grinned wickedly at the group. “Long time, no see, Xiao Long. It feels like only yesterday since we last saw each other.” Behind Adam, was a large group of Faunus, the grey haired guy from earlier, and a tan girl with light green hair. “Ah, you’re a little late to the party, I see, Sustrai.”

This must have been the girl Ruby mentioned earlier. If she had been the one that dragged Jaune off, it made sense that she was behind schedule. That just left her one question: where was the other woman that had vanished with the grey-haired guy earlier? The group separated, forming themselves around the sisters and Yang silently cursed to herself. They could really use the CVY members. Where the hell were they?

“The wolf was a bit of a handful, but he is in **her** hands now.” The woman known as Sustrai stated without emotion and glanced over her victims. “This ragtag bunch was giving you problems, Mercury?”

“Can it, Emerald!” The grey haired guy barked back. “I wasn’t expecting blondie to go Super Saiyan on my ass!” His eyes honed in on Nora’s hammer and he pointed at her accusingly. “And that one is fucking insane!”

“Damn right, I am!”

“Well, whatever!” Mercury pumped a fist toward himself. “Without your Circadian friend, you guys can’t handle us all!”

“That so?” Neptune said with a twitch of irritation in his eye. “The boss would be pretty disappointed if we couldn’t handle this on our own.” His eyes glowed as he narrowed them at Mercury. “And I hate to disappoint.”

“Ah, shit,” Sun got a bit nervous. “He **really** doesn’t like being talked down to, if it’s not the head honchos.” Neptune took a few steps forward, letting sparks dance between his fingertips, and Emerald took Mercury’s place.

“Let a real woman show you how this is done,” she grinned smugly as she stepped forward to meet him. “At least I don’t have sensitive little balls to be afraid of crushing.”

“Hey!”

“Calm yourselves,” Adam spoke up once more. “I want the sisters both alive. The blonde is mine, while the Rose kid goes to The Council.”

“Uh, sir,” Mercury prodded. “I thought she went to the Ice Queen.”

“My loyalties aren’t with her, of all people,” Adam sneered at the very mention. “Once I have what I want, she serves no purpose. It’s embarrassing that we’re even accepting help from an outsider that bears no loyalties, like her. Keeping that in mind, she’s the last vampire we need running around with Rose blood. Emerald,” Adam called her name. “If you would…”

“My pleasure,” the green haired girl grinned, leaping into the air and throwing something that looked like a shuriken at them. It missed and Yang grinned for a moment, but suddenly Emerald came flying at them attached to a cable connected to the point held firmly in the ground. Landing with a sweeping kick, everyone leapt away from her. In the commotion, Adam appeared behind her and grabbed at Ruby, who had turned to run. Swinging her around, he grinned as he finally had one of the girls he was looking for.

“Rubes!” Yang’s energy flared around her and all she saw was his grin as the world around her became swallowed in red. Adam dragged the younger sister forward as a make-shift  shield and kept his grin up. “Let her go!” Yang roared as the ground around her dented with the pressure she emanated.

“Come quietly and she won’t be injured,” he kept his proud demeanor up. “As long as she’s with me. Now be a good girl and come with us. Ah, ah, ah!” He waved a finger as the group circled around him. “That isn’t wise, now! Mercury…” He nodded to Yang and the wolf headed toward her with a binding rope. “The rest of them don’t matter. You can dispose of them as you all please,” Adam issued his orders to the rest of the group. “They not imp-wargh!!!”

With a huge crashing noise, the wall behind them came crashing down and a brown and black blur flew through it, knocking Adam away from Ruby. The figure caught themselves as they hit the ground and rebounded themselves into the air, landing in a crouching manner. A tan female White Fang member with a dark brown ponytail stood up, taking a battle stance. The bone mask covering her eyes, it gave nothing away to where her sights were set, but a loud roar from inside the wall gave a clue as to what it might be. A large bear climbed from the destroyed wall, leaping at Mercury, who braced himself for the incoming attack. A few whip-like coils wrapped around the bear’s left arm and leg, pulling his weight down and he attempted to pull them toward him, engaging in a tug of war.

“Yatsuhashi!” Coco shouted as she and Velvet jumped out of the wall, firing at the Fang members that attempted to snare him. With their grips loosened, the bear yanked them forward, sending them crashing into several other members.

“I see I’m going to have to handle this myself…” Adam dusted himself off as he stood up. Casting a look where the Rose child had been, he saw her running away in the distance. That wasn’t good. At least this chaos was controlled and other unaffiliated creatures would stay away… Who knew what else was out there… “Tch! You,” he spoke to the pony-tailed member. “After her!” Without a word, she leapt off in pursuit of Ruby. “I’ve had it with this nonsense!” A dark aura washed over Adam and his clothing bubbled to life, lashing around him.

**ooOOoo**

“Winter, please!” Weiss slashed away at a slew of high speed spiked icicles that homed in on her. “I don’t want to fight you!”  The older sister had somehow closed the distance between them. With a spike encasing her arm, she thrust it at Weiss, but she managed to parry the swing and reversed their positions, sending Winter past her. Letting the ice disipate, Winter let herself fall to her hands and pivoted on them, swinging the weight of her legs around with a hard kick to Weiss’ body, but a large panel of light absorbed most of the blow, before Weiss was sent flying out of the warehouse and across the concrete yard.

“You insult me, Weiss!” Winter shouted in anger. “I’ll never understand why it was you that was granted the power to make a difference when you’re so unwilling to do what’s necessary!” The older Schnee clenched a fist in front of herself and shouted through gritted teeth. “I had no idea what a fool I was to believe you could make a difference until after I died… But I’m willing to make that sacrifice! I’ve always been willing! Everything I sacrificed for you is already proof enough…”

“Win,” Weiss scrambled back up to her feet. “What are you talking about?” What had Winter sacrificed for her? The only thing she knew of was the amount of time she had spent training her as a part of Team RWQWST… “I appreciated every moment you spent teaching me!”

“That was a waste too…”

“Too?”

“Are you mocking me, Weiss?” Weiss opened her mouth to deny, but Winter cut her off as a spike sliced across her cheek. “This is real, **baby sister** ,” she spat out the nickname like a poison. “You have so much latent power, but you won’t even try to use it... Using that Lightforge is nothing but an insult,” Winter grinned mercilessly and Weiss suddenly felt a paralyzing fear. “That’s right, Weiss. Stay right there. At least, if I eat you, someone can put all that power to use.”... Wait, Winter wasn’t supposed to know about… “Oh what? Are you surprised? That I know the **true** power of a Circadian? Something **that** disgusting?”

“Winter, be reasonable! It’s not something that should be used!” Weiss shouted back. “I’m strong enough without it, but you’d be an incredible asset to us!”

“You? Strong?” Winter laughed heartlessly. “I’ll show you strength, baby sister.” The ground beneath them began to rumble and Darkforge spread across the ground, birthing hundreds of Grimm lifeforms. “Hahahaha! Look at how much power I’ve gathered, Weiss!” Winter stretched her arms out in a show of her many minions. “All in the name of a peace greater than you could ever dream of! All you need to do is stay still and you can become a part of that peace too, Weiss! It will be your greatest contribution.”

“Winter…” Weiss’ eyes grew dark, as did her aura. “You killed this many innocent humans… This many?!” A large white glyph spanned around her and a spiritual force pushed several beowolves back, eliminating some of the weaker ones, but a few braver ones gathered, forming into a single girthy beast. Swiping at her with a giant claw, it scooped her up and began to squeeze her.

“That’s right,” Winter smirked. “Stay still and join them like a good girl.” Winter stood arrogantly, looking down on her sister as she was about to be consumed by the giant beowulf. In all technicality, this counted as her consuming Weiss. Eh, she could always figure that out later… She couldn’t afford to take chances if Weiss suddenly… decided… to grow… a pair… She spoke too soon…

The whites of the large glyph beneath the beowulf hollowed out and became pitch black, with a shining outline. The large beowulf began to look around in a panic, deciding to shove Weiss in its mouth and swallow her whole. It looked back at Winter for praise but Winter looked on in shock. The darkness within the outlines swelled and bubbled, as if being held back by those very outlines. Looking closer, Winter realized that a very thin layer of light was holding the darkness at bay and it began to crack under the pressure. With a loud shattering noise, the glyph burst and the darkness jutted out  in billowing flames. From inside the pillar of darkness, Winter heard the shrieks of her beowulf as it cried in an intense pain.

A single claw reach out toward her, dark flesh melting and dripping from its large bones as if it had been splashed with acid. A single large eye glowed through the darkness and Winter could almost make out a pleading look as it disappeared, disconnecting from the claw and leaving its decrepit remains behind. Suddenly remembering to breath, Winter stared on in horror as she realized that must be the hidden trait of Weiss’ Darkforge? This ominous energy? How the hell was this possible? No modern day Elder should possess something like this? Her thoughts flew at a mile a minute, but they were interrupted as a hot rush of steam gushed out from the pillar and Winter covered her face with her arms, putting up a large shield of ice.

Opening a single eye, she grunted in frustration as she tried to hold the heat at bay, but her strength was draining rapidly and the steam was making short work of her ice shield. A drop of scalding water sizzled against her skin. Searching her surroundings, she made the emergency decision to head for higher ground. Coating herself in another case of ice, she abandoned her now worthless shield and leapt onto the warehouse’s rooftop. At least this way, the ice would melt as it absorbed the heat and dampen her. She looked behind her to get a better look, but this smoke screen was still so thick and she couldn’t make out what was going on. As angry as she was with Weiss, she was genuinely worried about what was going on in there.

Feet tapping against the aluminum sheets as she landed, she took a moment to catch some fresh air. Unfortunately, the moment was short lived as something dark appeared before her and sent her crashing through the roof without warning. Rafters and dust chased after her, crashing around her, kicking up enough dusty particles to send her into a coughing fit. A second cough came through the dust and she remembered that Jaune was still tied to the pillar. Shit! He was only meant to lure her here, but even if Weiss held onto her anti-human consumption beliefs, her current state wouldn’t discriminate.  Coughing again, Winter hobbled to her feet and began to untie the wolf.

“You!” The blonde wolf sputtered between coughs.

“Shut it, wolf boy!” Winter spat. “I don’t have time to explain, but you don’t need to die for my mistakes. She’s out of control!”

“Wh-what?!” The ropes loosened and fell from around him and he glared at her as if he were about to pounce.

“Your issues with me can wait ‘til after we survive this.” A weight thumped against the ground in front of them, clearing the room of dust with another gust of wind and revealing a dark humanoid mass of tattered Darkforge. Crouched with a single fist pressed into the ground and the other resting on its knee, a featureless face lifted to meet them and two piercing red eyes slowly opened to silently observe the two.

“What the hell is that?!” Jaune screeched in a panic.

“That,” Winter rolled her eyes. “Is an Elder that has yet to learn self control or feed its power… That is Weiss.”

“Weiss?!” Jaune’s eyes went wide. “But Weiss died in a car accident.”

“Is that so…” Winter hummed in thought. She had heard that there were unusual circumstances surrounding Weiss’ death, but she was aware that Weiss had always been anything but normal. There were even times she questioned their relation, but they were undeniably siblings.

The mess of Darkforge slowly rose to its feet, standing tall, with the undeniable presence of a Child of Night. Regardless of control, those creatures, let alone a Schnee, would never let their pride go. Winter had to commend Weiss on still maintaining that about herself, even in this insanity.

“Wolfboy, it’s a longshot, but you definitely don’t have the power to take her down,” Winter began to speak. “I need you to be a distraction, while I try to bring her down, or at least snap her out of this.”

“I-I’ll t-t-try,” he stammered and she looked at him incredulously.

“You’re not scared, are you?!”

“N-no!”

“How the hell did you ever expect to last as a guardian for Weiss or Ruby, if you clam up and can’t even be a simple distraction?!”

“Leave me the hell alone!” Jaune screamed as he ran toward several stacks of wooden crates and launched them at Weiss, but she ignored him. Keeping her focus on Winter, a piece of Weiss’ cloak caught one of the boxes and squeezed it until it burst into several splinterings pieces of tiny wood. “Sheesh!” Jaune squealed to himself, interpretting the display as an example of what she could so to him... That was such a Weiss-like thing to do. He felt his heart choking on itself as he swallowed the harsh reality… it really was her…

“Are you still aware?” Winter narrowed her eyes at the Elder standing before her, who gave a sinister chuckle. It burst into a loud fit of laughter and let out a large burst of hot air that blew the building apart, sending Jaune and Winter flying through the air.

No, she was about as aware of herself as a Frenzying vampire. That was the last thing they needed – a Frenzying Elder. While Frenzying vampires were out of control, the danger lay in the fact that their intelligence still remained intact, though they were far more aggressive in their tactics. They were highly offensive, but had enough reason to defend themselves. The trick to defeating them lay in the fact that they poured everything into their attacks without limitation and exhausted themselves fairly quickly. For this level of aggression though, just how long had Weiss gone without a meal?!

Flipping rapidly through the air in the direction of the ocean, Winter made a hasty decision to land on one of the ships at the docks. Narrowly landing on the ships rail, her eyes went wide as she stuggled with her balance. Faced with a watery grave, Winter was forced to fall to the ship’s deck. Holy shit, one wrong move and that could have ended badly… fuckin’ water… Wait…

“Arc, I have a plan!” Winter jumped back onto the cemented lot and searched for him.

“That’s great and all, but how the fuck do I get down?!” Looking up, Winter caught sight of the wolf clinging for dear life to the crane that was probably used in moving the large shipping containers back and forth. How it hadn’t given way with all the commotion was beyond her, but who was she to question the boy’s luck? “Just let go.”

“No way in hell!” He squeaked.

“I’ll catch you,” she called back up. “I swear! We don’t have time for this.” Against his better judgment, Jaune let go as he prayed to God she wasn’t lying. With a loud thump, he landed in something fleshy and opened his eyes to find a large beowulf grinning at him.

“Eeeeeeeeek!” The beowulf dropped him and covered its ears in pain.

“Just when I think you can’t get any less manly, you always seem to surprise me, Arc…”

“You could have warned me!” Jaune argued back. “Anyway, what’s this plan of yours… and where is she?”

“She’s still over there where the building used to be. She’s showing Frenzy behavior, which thankfully means she’ll make predictable patterns - several actions in short bursts or a single high energy action, with a bit of a wait time in between. We need to get through another attack, but lure her this way toward the water.”

“The water???”

“Seriously?!” Winter screeched at him. “Do they not teach you anything or do you just not pay attention in regard to classes on Supernatural Biology?! As a member of the Arc family, you should be aware of your own physiology!”

“Ok, you can lecture me or explain this, either way, we’re wasting time…”

“Ugh,” Winter pinched the bridge of her nose… Ah, so that’s where Weiss had gotten this mannerism from… “Water has a natural cleansing property to it. Churches bless it for an added effect to small quantities since its easier to carry that way. Salt has a purifying effect as well and we are literally standing next to an endless vat of salt water. Do you get it?”

“Oooooooooooh!” That made sense, but didn’t that mean it would hurt her? “Is she gonna’ die?”

“I only need her in there long enough to knock her out.” The older Schnee gritted her teeth and focused on her Darkforge-consumed sibling. They really needed to finish this quickly. Despite having barely reached into her bag of tricks, she had begun to feel weaker and weaker as the battle went on. “Get ready… she’s coming.”

Weiss rose to her feet and Jaune finally spotted her. The energy around her swelled and she let out a loud wail and mechanically turned herself in their direction. The Darkforge spread around her and she jutted forward at them in a straightforward attack. Hopefully, this would be easy. Weiss drew closer and closer and it would only be a matter of seconds, then all they would have to do is simply redirect her. Right. N-… why did she stop?

The Darkforge that surrounded her body surged forward and snapped back with an elastic-like pull, reforming around her statuesque body. Jaune waved a hand in front of her face, but she made no moves. There was no way that was it… Hot breath still came from her mouth as she exhaled light breaths, when suddenly her head snapped to the right and Jaune fell on his ass. Then he heard it – the sound that had somehow caused the Frenzying Elder to lose interest in her current prey.

“Someone! Help!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUN!!!! I wonder who THAT could be! (Like you guys don’t already know lol). This chapter almost didn’t happen this way, but I decided that this was more exciting. Honestly, the original way, Weiss never changed in front of everyone, Winter never held any resentment toward Weiss, and Winter’s Arc would have been finished in one chapter, which I thought was lame and lacked development/suspense, so I fleshed it out a bit and reworked it so that Weiss doesn’t have PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER!!!!!! Gotta’ give her some sort of drawback. Anyway, Blakey gets a breaky this chapter and we get to see a little bit of Yang’s dark side, as well as her finally figuring out who Neptune is. Hmmmm, I wonder who the unnamed White Fang ninja is! Also, Jaune’s a bit of a trooper right now. He hasn’t quite had time to truly process what’s going on and is just handling things one minute at a time.


	19. Drain

 

“What the heck is Ruby doing here?!” Winter heard Jaune, but paid him no mind. Instead, she was reassessing her situation and formulating another plot. For a while now, she had noticed something incredibly wrong with her bout with Weiss. The simple fact was that, unlike a normal frenzying vampire, Weiss wasn’t getting any weaker as she expended colossal amounts of energy and Winter’s strength was sapping at an alarming rate. She needed to finish this quickly and an opportunity had just waltzed onto her doorstep. Rose blood was a far quicker solution as opposed to taking out a Frenzying Elder with an unknown trait that just **happened** to also possess the abilities unique to a Circadian… But it was possible that Ruby’s sudden arrival could help Winter kill two birds with one stone.

Taking advantage of the lapse in Weiss’ movements, Winter tore off in the direction of Ruby’s voice and felt her strength slowly returning to her as the distance between the siblings grew… There was definitely something going on with Weiss, but she needed to confirm her suspicions before she dared label her sister as a pariah among those who were already branded as evil. Clearing her mind for the time being, she honed in on the rising volume of the cries for help and an eventual girl clothed in Beacon’s iconic uniform came into view. Spotting a few werebeasts hot on the Rose girl’s trail, Winter launched herself at a much faster rate, sending a wave of ice splintering out at the beasts and impaled them with a burst of large crystals that slowly encased them.

“Weiss!” Ruby called from behind her. She heard Ruby take a few steps forward, but she froze when Winter looked over her shoulder. “Weiss?” Winter turned around, tilting her head with an amused smirk. Did they really look so much alike? “Y-you’re not Weiss!”

“How… observant…” Winter’s eyes came to life with a red glow and Ruby turned to flee but she fell on her butt when her feet refused to carry her. Rubbing at pain on her rump, she winced and looked at her feet. To her horror, they were covered in smooth and glassy mound of ice that reflect the half moon’s light. As Winter drew closer, she tried to kick free, but the ice refused to budge and spread to her shins. A foot planted itself in front of her and Winter knelt down to meet with her eye-to-eye. “Just know that this isn’t anything personal… I was always rather fond of the Xiao Long-Rose family and if things had gone the way they were supposed to, this would never have been a thought.” Winter grabbed the collar of Ruby’s shirt and pulled her close and tore into her neck, drinking at a ravenous rate.

Maybe it was her own distaste at her action, but Rose blood tasted far more bitter than the usual sweetness of those she preyed on – an incredibly famliar bitter… almost rotten… An intense dizziness overwhelmed her and her ears began to ring. Her body became increasingly heavy and the world warped around her, closing in until she found herself standing in a dark room… This had happened a few times before.

Sometimes, the memories of her victim’s came flowing into her as she became one with their essence. Whoever had said genetic memory was a sham had never had the displeasure of living out their pitiful life as a vampire. A figure began to emerge from the darkness, slowly taking shape and her eyes widened as she began to imagine the torment she was about to experience. After all, the only memories either of the Xiao Long-Rose sisters would have of him were from the night their parents were slaughter… but what occurred was even more baffling.

 _“Ozpin, why did my Father never accept me?”_ A smokey haze formed beside him, molding itself into a carbon copy of her younger sister. Offering her a warm smile, Ozpin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

_“That isn’t true, my Child. Your father has always placed the utmost faith in you and you have far exceeded his expectations, but yours is a complicated relationship. In time, you will come to understand everything. For now, let us teach Jacques the error of his ways and restore the world to its proper place. You **will** help me, won’t you?”_

_“Yes… master.”_

_“For now, I will show you a power unlike any other. Take it and acquire the Descendants of Mina Harker.They are instrumental to our cause.”_

Winter tore herself away from the vision and found herself gazing into a furious pair of crimson eyes that would have stopped her heart – that was, if it hadn’t stopped beating years ago. Instead, her stomach hollowed with a numbing pit-like sensation. Releasing her bite, she realized that Ruby had been pulled away at the last second and a Darkforge coated arm had taken her place. The sinister aura of the vampire before her pulsed with minimal effort and the ice shackling Ruby’s legs together shattered.

With what looked to Ruby like a light tap on the Weiss look-alike’s shoulder, the cloaked figure sent Winter flying back toward the shipyard they had come from. When she was out of sight, the two exchanged a look and Ruby speculated on whether or not she should be afraid of the bizarre umbra beside her. The shadow’s firm eyes softened considerably as they glanced over Ruby and the spectral tatters formed tightly around its hands.

Ruby had once heard that this was what vampires looked like when they first became Elders, but they learned to smooth it out as they came into their power. Was that what was happening? This Elder was still learning? Never in her worst nightmares had she thought she’d be this close to one… but she strangely held no fear toward this one.

The Elder took Ruby’s chin between a finger and thumb and tilted her head sideways, but nothing about the action felt alarming. When the other vampire had her, she could feel her intentions and this was nothing like that. If anything, their fingers were a bit cool to the touch and she could distinctly feel a textured fabric reminiscent of gloves. It felt as if the cloak was just masking the individual, rather than the Darkforge being an extension of their being, like she had been taught. The vampire eyed her neck briefly, then tilted her head to the other side and breathed a sigh of relief. It was so strange to Ruby... yet so familiar. Was this… maybe?

“Wei-“

“WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEISS!!!!!!!!!!!!” A frigid aura exploded from the freight containers beyond the warehouse and a thin sheet of ice whined as it spread across the ground. With a loud groan, her vampire-savior dug their fingers into where Ruby assumed their hair was and began to pull. A boiling sound gurgled from the ground and Darkforge bubbled up beneath the Elder’s feet.

“Rose!” A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and the vampire shrank away as she was whisked off by a strange voice she had never heard. The Darkforge licked around the vampire’s feet and she felt a berserker-like rage exuding from the vampire that saved her. Twisting herself around as they headed to a safer rooftop position, Ruby identified the person who had grabbed her as the White Fang operative that had been pursuing her since she escaped Adam. Ruby squirmed in her arms and she tightened her grip. “Calm down! I want you just as safe as Weiss does!”

“Weiss?!” Ruby looked back at the raging specter below. While she had told Weiss that she knew, she had never expected Weiss to be an Elder… These last few weeks, she had been sharing her home – **her bed** \- with one of the most dangerous kinds of vampires… but Weiss had never even laid a hand on her, let alone a fang. Ruby blushed as she remembered the first night that Weiss had stayed with her… Weiss had overreacted when Ruby had teased her about being drunk and not knowing where her “medicine” was. Had she been worried that she had tried to bite her?

“Rose, you need to lay low until I can get you out of here. Can you do that?” The Faunus asked her, from beneath her half-mask.

“Why would I trust you?” Ruby glared at her.

“You shouldn’t,” the Faunus surprised Ruby with her answer. “But at the moment, I’m the most sane person you have to rely on until your friends arrive.” She motioned at the vampire she had referred to as “Weiss”. “I would normally leave you under her care, but as you can see, that would yield less than… desireable results.”

“Whose side are you on?” Ruby brow furrowed in confusion. This Faunus had saved that Mercury guy earlier and Yatsuhashi had attacked her, then Adam must have sent her after her.

“I’m sure that it would pose a problem for **Bluh** , if the infamous Xiao Long were to be in mourning over her younger sister’s death,” the Faunus smirked at her, obviously teasing the nickname, and Ruby buried her face in her hands.

“Seriously?!” Ruby shrieked. “I didn’t know her name til today… and that’s only because Yang said it!” The Faunus grinned at Ruby, but she found it a little unnerving that she couldn’t see her eyes and tell what sort of face she was really making. Below them, Weiss took off in the direction of the other vampire at a blinding speed and Ruby could barely keep up. “That’s really Weiss?”

“Yes,” the other girl nodded, following the vampires through what Ruby assumed to be eye slits. It was fairly unlikely that she was blind, but it wasn’t **entirely** out of the realm of possibilty. From her peripheral, Ruby examined the Faunus as closely as she could for any defining characteristics. So far, dark hair, tan skin, and dark patches across her shoulders and cheeks.

“Do you have a name?”

“It doesn’t matter,” the Faunus dismissed the question. “You won’t need it.” Ruby frowned at the response and huffed to herself with her arms crossed.

“Well, I guess if I need help, I’ll just call for Weiss and maybe she can take a break from going postal for a minute,” Ruby shrugged sacastically.

“Sarcasm is unbecoming of you, Miss Rose…”

“Ugh!” Ruby head rolled back in aggravation. “You talk like Blake and Weiss!”

“Thank you,” the Faunus hugged one arm to her body in an insecure manner. “I am flattered that you would compare me to Belladonna.” After a brief silence, she pursed her lips and mumbled something.

“Huh? I didn’t quite hear that.”

“I said,” the Faunus started off loudly, but then dropped her voice. “For the time being, you can call me Amitola. Shit!” Amitola covered Ruby’s head, grabbing her protectively as a hot bright flash flared, accompanied by a huge wave of heat. The building they stood atop shook as the earth below them rumbled with the chorus of gunfire and explosions and they lost their balance, falling onto the roof. Amitola scrambled to her feet, crawling  toward the ledge to peer over it. “And the calvalry arrives.” She muttered to herself in irritation as she observed the golden ball of light rampaging after Adam… But as interesting as that was, the two she was worried about had disappeared from sight.

“Amitola!” A voice suddenly came from behind them. “What a pleasant surprise! You actually **can** be useful!”

**ooOOoo**

With a great force, Winter crashed into the steel siding of one of the many shipping containers lining the docks beyond the warehouse, leaving a large dent. A moment later, the full force of the impact hit her and she attempted to free herself. Collasping to her knees, Winter lurched forward and heaved violently as the contents of her stomach lurched forth. Whatever was in Weiss’ blood was unheard of. Of course, she had heard that the blood of other Freaks was more bitter than humans and to drink it was taboo, but this was just… freakishly bitter! It was absurd!

On rare ocassions, Adam had offered her his own blood, but it had never caused sickness of this magnitude – maybe an upset stomach, but not this. When it came to feeding, the only difference between Vampires and other species of Freaks was that the blood of the non-dracules was still somehow filling, while Vampires provided little more than the sharing of memories… Memories… Wiping the sick away from her mouth, her features hardened with a serious expression.

Winter was stained. She had done what Weiss couldn’t do. In order to preserve humanity, it was **she** who had delved into the darkness in order to better learn how to destroy it from within, and destroy it she would. All her sacrifices… she wouldn’t let them be in vain. No chance – not when the supposed savior they had been waiting for had become a pawn in Ozpin’s genocide of humanity… but it was alright… She would make it right. Weiss had probably fallen for his ruse and was no longer herself. The least she could do was free the child of her servitude to such a monster. The mess beneath her bubbled with a black ooze and she gritted her teeth as she recalled the black that bubbled around the creature that was once her sister… That should have been all the proof she needed for her hypothesis about Weiss’ existence, but now she was certain of it – the type of dark entity Ozpin had reanimated her as…

“WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEISS!!!!!!!!!!!!” Her energy surged from within her like never before and the ground froze with the chill of the season her name referenced. The dark energy she recognized as her sister responded in kind and within moments, the dark-clad figure was upon her, lashing out with large claw-like appendages, but Winter had predicted this behavior. With a loud thud, the claw sank itself into a thick crystal of ice and froze solid, suspending the malice-driven entity.

Their eyes met through the transparent sheet and all that Winter could decipher was pure animosity – the kind she had only read about in the books of ancient times… The kind that only Unholy abominations directed at those with the freedoms of life and choice… Was that it? Was Weiss becoming one of those? A pit sank in Winter’s stomach. As much as she was willing to give up, Winter had still held on to the moral belief that flirting with the source of darkness itself was out of the question. Some small part of her was still conflicted over her decision to kill her sister. Rather thanly hunting Weiss and taking her power, some small part of her hoped that Weiss would prove that every misdeed at Winter’s hands had been meaningless. Maybe Weiss would suddenly let go of her ideals and make that difference and Winter could let her live, but as she was now, death would grant her mercy. She gritted her teeth and kicked herself mentally. How had she not seen this coming?

From the day she had been born, their father had always treated Weiss with a suspicious disdain and Weiss had always tried so hard to exceed his expectations, but it was never good enough. Even having tested positively for Darkforge synchronization, Weiss was never good enough because she was a woman. Had she been born to the world as their younger brother and shared the same affinity, Father would most likely have humored her eagerness and showered her with adoration she deserved… And now, Weiss was losing out to an ancient power she had most likely attempted to tame in an effort to prove herself… It explained everything…

The reason Winter’s energy kept draining and Weiss never tired… That bubbling ooze that appeared beneath her earlier – it was concentrated Unholy, the source that created all Freaks. The humans that Unholy inhabited became shells over time, like some sort of viral parasite that reprogrammed its host to produce more of itself until it was simply no longer its former self... and that was now Weiss – a monster that needed to be put out of its misery… But what did that say about Ozpin? He was a being that could conjure such beings?! Humanity was truly up against an evil far greater than it had ever imagined…

“I’m truly sorry that we couldn’t have ended on better terms, baby sis… Maybe… We could have fixed things eventually…” She already felt her energy sapping away and the sheet of ice was beginning to give way. She reached to her side and drew her sword, tracing its length as she took a nervous breath to settle the queasiness in her stomach. “Gladiolus, grant me guidance.”

Lifting her sword in an outward position, she held it at head level, pointing at her sister’s heart. She pressed the palm of her hand against the blade’s pommel and pushed forward, breaking through the ice and piercing through Weiss with a sickening sound. The blade sank deeper and deeper, rendering Weiss unmoving and Winter knew that the deed was done. She peered up to be sure that the life left her sister’s eyes, but instead a pair of baby blues glared from deep within the darkness of the Elder cloak. Instead, the tattered garb tightened around Weiss’ form and took the less ghastly appearance of a solid silhouette.

“Gladiolus?” Weiss pulled the sword from her chest and tossed it away. “I’m honored.” The younger Schnee’s voice was filled with sarcasm. Weiss turned her head away from the sight of her sister sprawled across the ground in such a helpless way and pressed a hand to her temple and left eye as she let a lightheaded feeling pass through her. Her head was pounding and her mind screamed as an ungodly hunger rampaged through her. Every part of her being screamed, beging for her to find the nearest living thing to sink her teeth into, but enough was enough. She couldn’t afford to let instinct continue to control her… This was her fault for letting the hunger overwhelm her.

It was only a matter of time before this happened… If only she had saved the last pill for herself… It felt like she couldn’t keep her eyes straight. She attempted to look at Winter again, but her focus began to shake and a large weariness weighed down on her, but for the time being her Trait was no longer in control. She supposed she should be thankful for the aftereffects of the Holy dagger built into Gladiolus’ hilt, Amaryllis… But while it wouldn’t be lethal if it remained in the hilt, the Holy element it added to the sword would certainly cause her some problems. “Are you sure that you still want us to be enemies, Win?”

“Partnering with the sort of monster that would help Ozpin?” Ah, crap… Of all the memories she could have seen…

“Winter, you’re mis-“

“Save it, Weiss!... If there’s even a shred of her left inside you…” The older Schnee cut her off and stumbled to her feet. “I won’t hear the lies of an Unholy parasite wearing the skin of my sister.”

“Listen to me!”

“Silence!” Several explosions came from behind Winter, alerting her to the a familiar presence. Adam certainly had perfect timing when he wanted to. She clapped both her hands together and a wall of ice chased after Weiss, freezing her into a solid block. It wouldn’t hold her forever, but it would buy Winter some time - hopefully enough. Winter dashed for Gladiolus and made a hasty retreat toward what she believed to be the White Fang leader.

As the familiar sight of the red-headed bull Faunus came into view, she noticed the familiar sight of the blonde firecracker. A wrathful energy surrounded her, emitting a furious blaze of gold that illuminated the immediate area. Yang swung at him relentlessly, barely missing him each time and the sheer amount of evasion was taking its toll on him. With one misstep, he tripped over himself and it felt as if time slowed as an angry fist followed up with a blow to his face, but right at the last second, it changed direction, intercepting an elbow that knocked her away. Hitting the ground, he looked up and recognized the blade as the one that the Ice Queen carried.

“Hmmf, so I was right this whole time… It **is** you,” he grumbled in distaste at the figure that refused to regard him. “Winter.”

“Save it for later,” she hissed with venom behind her words. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry – one of them being the monstrosity Weiss has been hiding inside herself.” He stood up patting the dirt away from his trenchcoat and mumbled in irritation at how much remained.

“She can’t possibly pose that much of a problem, can she?” He looked at her incredulously. “Just eat her and get it over with.”

“Not that simple. In Weiss’ current state, she’s nothing more than poison… I need the Rose kid, if I want to put her down.”Adam looked at her hesitantly. “Don’t get cold feet now. It was one or the other and the result would be the same, but now I know Weiss’ blood is tainted and she needs to be put down before she does any further harm.”

“Please,” he waved her off. “She’s one of the most harmless nuisances I’ve had the displeasure of running into.”

“Wait ‘til you see what she’s turned into.”

“Turned… in…to?” As if on cue, the aforementioned creature reappeared, crazed, tattered, and eyes blazing red. It knelt to the ground and a dark glyph outlined in a white glow appeared beneath her. Adam paled at the sight and the sheer amount of energy it exuded. “What the fuck is that?!”

“… my sister… Amaryllis’s effects must have worn off…” Already?! It should have lasted a few more minutes.

“What sort of Freak is she?!”

“The kind that a Schnee is sworn to eliminate...” Winter raised Gladiolus up once more. “Help or don’t help - choice is yours. Doesn’t change that we need to weaken her and I still need Rose blood. Weiss is going to destroy everything around us, if she keeps absorbing energy at this rate.”

“Absorbing?!”

“High-ranked Freaks are in a league of their own. In rare cases, some have a condition that unintentionally drains the energy of living things. The eventual release yields results similar to a nuclear bombs and taints everything that it touches, but on a smaller scale. The only way to stop it is through anti-Unholy measures, but the Darkforge Weiss is wearing will make dealing with the Unholy aura a problem,” Winter relented. “I had planned to douse her in seawater, but that backfired when Ruby showed up. If I can regain my Lightforge, I’m certain that I can pull this off, but I need Ruby’s blood for that.”

“Present situation aside, you’ve been after that for a while. What are you going to do with it?” He narrowed his eyes. “I can’t have you spoiling my plans.”

“Don’t worry. You’re free to do as you please once I get what I want.” The Faunus was silent and made no move. “ Oh, alright. I’m gonna’ kill the little shit that sired me! I might not be able to resist his influence over me, but it voids the Law of Sirelings that disables sirelings from killing their sires. Adam groaned at the mention of that brat. He distinctly recalled who exactly it was that turned her and made his decision.

“As much as I dislike you, there are few that I have less patience for than him.” He grinned at her. “Can’t hurt to have you both at each other’s throats. As they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” He motioned toward Weiss. “Is this the power of a Circadian?” Winter grimaced and shook her head.

“I honestly don’t know what she’s become. I just know that she’s giving off an aura of pure Unholy energy and we can’t take our chances.”

“Alright… As long as you don’t kill the kid, we’re good.”

“You never planned to hand her over to me, did you?” Winter glared at him knowingly and he smiled.

“My true employers would be quite unhappy if I failed to yield the desired results.” He smirked at her dismissively and shrugged. “No offense, Snowflake, but you’re pretty tame in comparison.” A beep sounded from his pocket and he pulled out a phone to look over it.

“You’re a damned traitor!”

“Likewise!” He tipped his sword off to her and let his phone slide back into his pocket. “Now let’s get your blood.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Winter might honestly be my favorite character to write at the moment. She’s resigned herself to the things that need to be done, but that doesn’t mean she’s entirely at peace with herself. I do understand that the stuff going on with Weiss is probably a bit confusing and contradicts some things mentioned, but Weiss is meant to be a very contradictory character when it comes to Supernatural Laws. I have a few different scenarios that I’m playing with for revealing what’s going on with her. Anyway, if you guys have any questions, feel free to ask and I’ll try to clear up what I can without revealing too much!


	20. Checkmate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said we reached a part where I pissed off a lot of people of FF? Well, a few people quit this story because of how this chapter ended... and I'm not apologizing lol. I'm sticking to my convictions but just know that this is a plot device, so put down the pitchforks and torches!

 

“For a human,” the green-haired woman placed a hand on her hip with a smirk, shifting the twin chained-sickles resting on her rear harness with a clink. “You’re a hard person to track down, Miss Rose.”

“H-how did you find me?”

“Eh?” The girl cocked her head at Ruby and nodded to Amitola. “You do know that she works for us, right?” From the corner of her eyes, Ruby caught the slight motion of Amitola clenching her teeth, but she played it calmly.

“Your orders, Emerald?” The girl in question tapped away briefly at her phone and grinned as it dinged with a response.

“Your task is complete,” Emerald stated casually as she pocketed her phone. “Adam will be here shortly. You may go.”

“You aren’t going to hurt her, are you?”

“What’s it to you, Amitola?” A frown splayed across Emerald’s lips as her hands returns to their rightful place at her hips. “You sound like one of those human sympathizers.” She narrowed her eyes dangerously.

“N-not at all!” Amitola stammered. “She’s of great use to us and could bring about our freedom, if we play our cards right! It’s best not to let her be harmed.”

“Feh!” Emerald threw her hands up dismissively. “I could really care less! The Council treats us well, in the very least, so I’m at an advantage. This is for Adam to decide. Peons like you have no need for answers to questions you’ll never have to deal with,” Emerald regained her seriousness. “Besides, asking for more information than you should could be fatal…” Amitola picked up the warning in the jade-haired girl’s tone of voice. Knowing the girl had an almost flawless record, Emerald really wasn’t someone she wanted to pick a fight with – especially not under the current state of affairs.

“U-understood.” Several loud roars bellowed out from below them and suddenly Emerald’s face filled with delight as another presence joined them.

“Glad to see you made it in one piece, Adam!” The excitement she had shown soon wore out at the familiar sight of the vampire Ruby recognized from earlier. “… oh, I see you have the Ice Bitch… Tell me, how does it feel to have to kill the sibling you virtually raised?”

“I dunno’,” Winter said with an eerily calm spite. “How does it feel to be the reason your boyfriend has prosthetic legs?” Raged filled Emerald’s eyes and she started to step forward.

“Listen, y-“

“Speaking of him, where **is** Mercury?” Adam glanced around. “He’s normally not far off from you.”

“Ah,” the darkly tanned girl became sheepish. “He got a bit winded and needed a break. He said he would catch up.” Winter laughed half-heartedly at the remorse in Emerald’s voice but she decided to ignore it.

“Is he up to these tasks?” Adam asked sternly.

“Clearly not!” Winter chimed in.

“Yes!” Emerald cried out. “Mercury is most definitely able to handle himself. We’ve been at this for days and he’s exhausted. It was only a matter of time before he needed to sit down for a moment. If we seriously needed him, he would be here! He just needs to build his stamina up and get more familiar with the new upgrades!”

“Well, at least we know he’s the easy one to take down,” Winter muttered under her breath. “Wonderful!”

“Don’t you have something you should be doing?” The bull-faunus was probably glaring at her, but Winter couldn’t tell through that damn mask that covered his eyes. “Something other than harassing my associates.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Winter waltzed toward Ruby. “It’s only a matter of time before Weiss works her way through those Grimm we left her. Better get this done before she kills Ruby too.”

“Weiss would never hurt me! Ah!” Ruby shouted, but Emerald pulled her in close, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and nuzzling close between Ruby’s cheek and ear. “Wh-“

“You know absolutely nothing about the Schnee and the lies they spread,” Emerald hissed into her ear as she glared at the icy woman across from them. “They will go to any length to protect their deceitful ways and you can only imagine how much worse they must be as vampires.” Emerald took a deep whiff of Ruby’s hair and grinned. “Mmmm, strawberries. She **must** taste sweet!” The woman drew close to Ruby cheek, sticking her tongue out and Winter became very apprehensive.

“Emerald,” Adam barked. “Keep your tongue to yourself!”

“Whaaaaat?” The roguish girl grinned at Winter, pleased with her checkmate. “There’s no harm in being friendly!”

“I am well-aware of what sort of Faunus you are,” he growled dangerously. “And there is nothing friendly about what you were going to do.”

“Ah, fine! No fun!” Emerald threw her hands up and shoved Ruby toward the vampire. “There are no survivors among our ranks, by the way. And at the rate things are going, we’ll be joining them soon if we don’t head out.” Adam tilted his head in Winter’s direction.

“Hurry the fuck up and take care of this mess your family has caused.”

“With pleasure!” Winter grinned as she hovered over the terrified red-head.

**ooOOoo**

Everything around her was screaming and she shrieked loudly as the pain swallowed her whole. She felt like she was being stabbed – no… torn apart… no, she was on fire… no, starving! NO! She was everything and she was out of control! Shadows flared from her skin, lapping at the beasts that attacked her and she knew she needed to dispose of them… Why were they attacking her?... And why was she so fucking hungry? She tore into the flesh of one of the beast she had felt, but it was so bitter… so sour… and the meat disintegrated into a powdery ash in her mouth.

A burst of golden light flared out in front of her and like a moth she was drawn to the flame. As she drew closer, all her rage was being pulled into that calming light, pooling with a burning rage that brewed within its core. It was dangerous…  but it felt so safe. Stumbling over to it, she recognized the woman within – The Yellow One. Why wasn’t she able to recall her name?... She was blonde… and angry… like a dragon… _Xiao Long_ … Ah, that’s right… This was Yang, but why was she so angry?

 In a daze, Weiss traced Yang’s line of sight to the top of a building and saw The Red One… _Ruby - you know this_ … Ruby reached out and tried to kick away from whoever was holding her, but she was pulled back… It happened so slowly. There was a flashed of white and Ruby screamed as teeth sank into her neck and suddenly a wave of clarity came over her. She didn’t know whether it was the Holy emanating from Yang or her own rage at her failure to protect Ruby, but almost in unison, they charged toward Ruby. Having the advantage of no longer being human, Weiss hastily leapt through the air, but Yang had her ways.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Yang yelled in Weiss’ direction. “Nora! Kinetic energy! Stat!” Suddenly, Nora appeared behind her, swinging a giant mallet at the huntress. Familiar with the Nora’s impractical tactics, Yang leapt up, absorbing the force of the hammer and using it to cart herself through the air. “Eat shit, vampire scum!” The fiery blonde tore past the Elder that was headed toward the rooftop and arrived in a blaze. “Rubes!”

“Oh!” A male voice cackled to her left. “You’re just in time for the feast!”

“Yan-,“ Ruby’s cry was cut off in a silent scream as time slowed for her older sister and the woman she once idolized sank her teeth into Ruby’s neck. Frozen in horror, Yang was unable to comprehend the event unfolding before her.

Time had become so boundless, but the impact of two feet crashing beside her brought her everything back to speed. Almost instantaneously, a furiously dark energy swarmed over the former-idol and ripped her fangs away from Ruby’s slender neck. The force of reckoning looked back at the blonde, making eye contact before it sent Ruby’s limp body crashing into her, sending them both flying over the edge of the building.

As the ground grew closer, Yang’s mind raced with thoughts of failure and how to handle the situation. Glancing at her blood-stained and shivering sister, she recalled the day Summer came home with the red-headed bundle of joy. Tai, and even her own mother, were filled with so much happiness. There was the time that Ruby learned how to remove the training wheels from her bike and skinned both of her knees. She tried so hard to hide it, but she couldn’t hide it from her overprotective sister. Rubes had screeched so much as Yang dabbed an alcohol-soaked cotton ball against them – she’d think twice before not being supervised from now on. When Yang had gotten Bumblebee, she had promised to teach her how to ride it this summer. It was going to be their bonding project while school was out… But that no longer seemed possible.

Pulling Ruby in close, Yang braced herself for the impact of the concrete, but she thudded against something cool and airy. A hollow, golden silhouette swung in front of her and pushed her in another direction across the field. As it dissipated, she found herself in the arms of the same figure, which tossed her further in the same direction. At the end of it all, she found herself landing in the arms of Neptune.

“Nice work, Sun!” Neptune smiled as her looked down, but his eyes widened in shock as they lingered on Ruby’s neck. “Oooooh, shit! Shitshitshitshitshit!!!! Sun!!!”

“What’s up?” Sun skidded to a stop next to them as Neptune placed them down. Instantly, he was drawn to Yang’s focus – Ruby’s neck. “Oh…”

“Hey, what’s going…on…” Jaune’s voice slowed to a stop as he arrived with the rest of his team and Nora buried herself into Ren. “Ruby?” The girl in question buried herself in her sister and shivered, as Yang sat there limply in shock.”Wh… How did this happen!!!”

**ooOOoo**

“Hahahahah,” Winter cackled as the ground beneath her illuminated with the Schnee family crest. Perfect – everything was as it should be. She could feel the Lightforge flowing through her veins, illuminating the darkness. Was this how Weiss always felt? This good?! How selfish of her! With the two sisters out of sight, Weiss turned back to her sister with vengeance in her eyes. “I see you’ve come back to your senses. We’ll see how long that lasts this time.”

Weiss gritted her teeth and her cloak became skin-tight, smoothing out as the tatters died down. She wouldn’t allow herself to continue to be distracted by her own hunger. Who knew what those idiots down below would do with Ruby if she didn’t end this soon. They didn’t know how special she was!

“What?” Winter taunted with her arms held wide open. “No words of warning? No boasts of power? You’re not going to tell me that it’s not too late to save me?”

 “Winter,” Adam’s stern voice cut in. “End this now. We don’t have time for games.”

“It’s too late for that now, Winter.” Weiss said coldly, digging her nails deeply into her palms. The older sister raised her eyes in disbelief. Certainly, Weiss could tell she was outmatched.

“Very well,” Winter stood up straight and adjusted her collar. “Adam, you and Emerald, retrieve the kids. It was a pleasure working with you, but after tonight, I **will** kill Ruby Rose should we meet again.”

“Right…” He narrowed his eyes at Winter and looked to his lackey, as Winter gave Weiss her full attention.

“I was going to test out these new powers, but in this state, I think Gladiolus will be more than enough for you.” Winter wiped her mouth of Ruby’s blood and glanced at the blade. Smiling to herself, she smeared the remains of the blood across the blade, agitating Weiss further. “Think of it this way – now you can die with a little piece of her inside you.”

In the blink of an eye, Gladiolus’ blade slammed against the blade Weiss managed to bring up at just the last second. When the hell did she get this sort of speed? Had her body already finished rewiring itself as a Circadian? That was impossible! The changes were supposed to take place over the course of a month, let alone becoming accustomed to them… Then again, Winter was a former Elite. She was already familiar with the training and had currently been a vampire for several years. It wouldn’t surprise her if separating the two was something she could pick up quickly. Maybe not master, but for something as simple as enhanced physical capabilities, it might not out of her ability… but Weiss had already been like this for years.

With another heavy slash, Weiss deflected the blade, though it completely dismantled the temporary Darkforge weapon she had summoned forth. As she came back, Weiss rolled out of the way and leapt from the ledge, landing on her feet. Looking back, Weiss had to dive out of the way as Winter came crashing down in hot pursuit, shattering the ground beneath her feet. With a menacing aura, Winter stood up and let a bright aura surge around her. Winter almost felt as if her heart was beating again and it got her blood pumping… Christ, when was the last time she had this breathless feeling?!

Around her, several Grimm poured from the rooftop above her and Adam made his way toward the sisters, with Emerald close behind. In an attempt to stall them, Weiss made an attempt at charging Adam, but Winter had other plans. With a kick forward, she wove in and out between the large pack, blinking through them and closing the gap between her and Weiss. Maybe, just maybe, if Weiss had managed to keep herself under control, she would have been able to keep up. As it stood now, Weiss was damn near out of stamina and had probably depleted herself of the Darkforge stored within her body. It seemed a higher power was on Winter’s side tonight and she would do its bidding, no matter what kinship she felt toward the body inhabited by whatever Abomination was living inside her.

Winter drew her sword back as if to strike and Weiss prepared to counter with her bare hands, but it was a fakeout. Instead, Winter swept her out from under her feet. In a brief moment of surprise, Weiss barely had enough time to dodge a fatal blow that instead swept across the left side of her face. Spinning out of the way, Weiss’ immediate reaction was to bring her hand to her eye and hiss in pain. Why did this hurt so much?!

She opened her eyes to evaluate how badly she was bleeding, but half her vision was black. With her right eye, she could make out a blood drench hand and feel it pouring across her cheek… This wasn’t good. This had never happened before. Normally, her body healed as it went, and even serious injuries appeared mild… As the blood poured, her stomach growled and she wondered if maybe it had something to do with the slowed rate, but it shouldn’t have been this bad. Alleviating pain from her eye, she left it shut and relocated Winter. Readying herself, she stood.

“Your forge is deteriorating.” What?! Without a chance to gather her thoughts, two Beowolves took turns swiping at her, leaving her distracted. It only took the one moment that her single eye left Winter, but that was all that was needed. In that moment, Winter charged from between the two wolves, impaling Weiss through her chest. They’d been through this once before tonight, but no. Winter glared at her murderously. This would be the **last** time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh nooooo, did you just kill Weiss? Omg, you’re such a terrible persooooon! Y u do dis!!! Yeah, it’s just gonna’ get better and worse from here on out and it’s gonna’ be GLORIOUS lol. (If I can actually stick to an update schedule from time to time.) Anyway, leave comments, tell me I suck at writing, woooooooo! =)


	21. The Hidden Anamoly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, if you thought the last chapter had some surprises or didn’t like the whole thing at the end, this chapter is gonna’ be a lot worse. It’s really not a feel-good chapter in the least bit. BUT it’s gotta’ happen to move the story along. Well, read on!

 

“Oooooooh, man!” Sun danced around nervously. “That is **a lot** of Beowolves and they look suuuuuper hungry! What do we do?!”

“We need to protect Ruby and Yang!” Neptune shouted. Looking over his immediate team, he tried to formulate a plan. In her current state, Yang was of no use to them. Filled with agitation, he ground his teeth together and eyed Jaune. “You! Dog breath!”

“Hey!”

“You manage to grab a weapon yet?”

“Uh… no?” Neptune rolled his eyes.

“Well, either make use of your beast or find something to defend yourself with!” Neptune leapt into the air and summoned a charge of electricity. Forming it into the trident from earlier, an almost magnetic pull guided him into a large pack of wolves. An electrical current danced around him and a large number of bodies collapsed around him.

“Well, you heard the guy!” Sun chirped. “I’m not trying to get shown up!” Forming a couple his ethereal clones, he ran out into the mass of beasts, clearing a path with his pole.

“Jaune,” Yatsuhashi’s voice came from above him. “It may not be much, but take my gun.” A shotgun landed heavily in Jaune’s hands. “It may be better to leave you with this since my beast and I are no longer at odds.” Jaune grimaced as Yatsuhashi made his change and barreled into the fray. Why did he always have to be so useless? His name carried greatness and he was meant to uphold that legacy, yet all his trials ended in failure. All his charges, his friends, his loves… They all ended in death. When was it that would he find his peace?

“Velvs,” Coco’s voice broke through his self-pitying.

“Yeah, Coco?”

“You know how I keep telling you that you shouldn’t get carried away, but you can let loose once in a while?” The posh woman asked.

“Yes,” Velvet timidly pointed her fingers together.

“This is one of those times,” Coco slammed a fresh magazine into her gun. “So let’s get carried away.”

“Right!” Velvet scanned across the field and spotted what she was looking for. After a split second, she held her hands forward and a dark replica of Sun’s weapon appeared.

“Uuuuh, what’s she doing?” Jaune asked.

“… Seriously?” Coco looked at him disapprovingly. “In the very least, you should know this… When you use a weapon or even simply touch something, you leave what’s called a Signature on it. In other words, an imprint of the type of energy your body uses that contains information pertaining to your very being,” Coco broke it down for him. “Velvet’s ability as a Faunus is to replicate that information in the form of a weapon produced from her own Signature - Darkforge. It copies all the way down to the knowledge of the martial art you apply to that weapon. Downside is she can only copy each person once a day and it only lasts until the weapon breaks or she switches weapons, so she can’t switch back.”

“Oh, I guess that’s kinda’ cool.” Jaune moped to himself. “I wish I had something cool I could do.”

“Don’t be so down on yourself.”

“I have a hand-me-down shotgun because I got kidnapped and the only purpose I served was luring Ruby here. I’d never even be on the bottom of a list of people Velvet would wanna’ copy. I’m bait.”

“… hmm,” Coco cocked her head to the side. “Point taken…”

“Hey!” Jaune whined. “Aren’t you supposed to make me feel better?”

“About being useless?” She looked up in though. “Yeah, no. Not out here. Not now.”

“I could die tonight and those will be your last words to me!”

“Hmmm, I see…” Again she pondered to herself. “Well… we did dare her to copy you as a joke once.”

“Really?!” Jaune’s anger turned to surprise. “What happened?!” An evil smirk spread across her lips and she spun around.

“Weeeeeell, you really wanna’ know?” She looked back over her shoulder and her nodded vigorously. “Then I guess you’ll just have to survive and ask me later!”

“Oh, come on! Seriously?!”

“Yep!” A strange gorilla-like Grimm barreled through, knocking several Beowolves out of its way. “Look sharp, wolf boy!” Bullets sprayed against it but it shrugged them off like water drops. In an effort to skip them, it leapt above them but a well-placed shotgun blast knocked back where it came from. Using the chaos to his advantage, Adam sprinted from behind the burly Grimm with his arm readied behind him for a strike.

“Velvs!” The rabbit Faunus looked up, searching for Coco’s voice. Over the sea of Grimm, she could see a humanoid bear tearing through them, as well as Sun. Somewhere along the way, Neptune had run into the strange green-haired member of the White Fang and the three of them appeared to be handling themselves well, but someone was missing… but who?... Quickly located Coco, she spotted the bull Faunus charging toward Jaune. Oh no!

Weaving her way in and out of the crowd, she plunged the pole into the ground, vaulting herself toward her friends as it shattered. She wasn’t going to make it in time, but right at the last second, Jaune parried Adam’s katana with the shotgun barrel. With a sigh of relief, Velvet eyed the blade and dove around Jaune, knocking the sword away with its carbon copy and pushing the blonde away. Adam regrouped himself and gripped the blade in an offset variation, clicking his tongue as she copied his stance.

In his irritation, he made the first swipe, only to be knocked back by the same force. Several more exchanges took place, until Velvet gained enough confidence to take the initiative. To his own surprise, Adam was greeted by a blade and style that mirrored his own. As she gained ground, he summoned forth a wolf to buy him some time to retreat. Quickly dispatching it, Velvet pursued him, chasing him away from the two sisters.

“See what I mean?” Coco smirked in admiration as she helped Jaune up.

“Does this mean she’s indirectly mastered every martial art known to man?”

“And then some…”

**ooOOoo**

“Ah shit,” Neptune cursed to himself. Emerald was the last person he wanted to run into but it was better that it be him than someone who wasn’t technically dead. Her whole Faunus deal made her a huge force to be reckoned with among non-vampires. See, poison didn’t really harm things that didn’t have a heart to stop; so technically, he was the worst person for her to run into… It was just a pain in the ass that her **skills** were… well, a pain in the ass. A clinking sound came from around him and he caught a glimpse of her hands twisting in a strange motion… “Oh, f-.”

A heavy chain snaked around his shoulders, crossing his chest and constricting both of his arms to his sides. With a hard pull, Emerald yanked him to his knees and she pulled tighter, digging his arms into his ribs. His eyes traced along the chain that wrapped around his body, all the way down to the fingerless gloves that added extra support… Heh, amateur!

“Heh, here I was hoping you’d be bright as a diamond.” He twisted his right hand to grab onto the chain. “Turns out you’re as dull as any other rock!” With a grunt, he concentrated his power into his hand, channeling a surge of electricity through the metal links attached to the sickles. Her body stiffened as the current swept through her body, locking her muscles in place. No longer in her hands, the chains fell lose around him and they hit the ground with a heavy thud as he shrugged them off.  “Y’know, y- whoa!”

A silver blur plunged sharp claws into the ground as the cocky vampire dodged at the last second, leaving the chain behind. He clicked his tongue as Emerald fell limply into the bipedal beast’s arms. Nuzzling into her cheek, the werewolf whined as he gently pressed his tongue against her cheek and she winced as she patted the side of his head gratefully.

Of course! Why wouldn’t Mercury’s ass show up right now?! It wasn’t that he hated Mercury – quite the opposite, in fact. They were just loyal to two different sides and two very different women… that hated each other. And so, they had to set aside their mutual respect for one another and fight their ladies’ battles – the difference being that Mercury knew Neptune would never truly hurt Emerald, while Mercury would be more than willing to rid the world of Weiss. Either way, it looked like the wolf’s recovery was going well, but that would spell bad news for them later on. From the nearly breathless appearance of the wolf, Neptune would say that Mercury’s stamina was still taking a heavy hit.

 “Mercury, I’m fine,”  Emerald comforted the wolf, who flashed a look of relief. “You’re still late though.” Mercury’s shoulders sagged as he let her down and she grinned mischievously. “I’ll let it slide just this once.”

“Oh, blegh! Yuck!” The ocean-haired vampire made sounds of disgust. “Look, I don’t have all night to watch you guys make goo-goo eyes at each other.” The two Fang members frowned as Neptune interrupted their moment. “Think we can speed things along?”

“Your friend is a little impatient,” Emerald grumbled in irritation and received an agreeable growl. As Mercury charged at him, Neptune dove out of the way and rolled, sliding as he came to a stop.

“Em!” What the fuck?! Did he Mercury just speak while in beast form?! Not having time to ponder that, Neptune quickly located the ninja-like Faunus, but it wasn’t her that caught his attention. It was the events unfolding just beyond. In the distance, several figures were driving a single figure back toward the ocean - Weiss.

“Ah shit,” he kicked forward, summoning as much speed as he possibly could. “Master!!!” He screamed, hoping his cry would distract the enemies, but his efforts were in vain. Something pierced his back, sinking into his muscles and lodging itself in place. He didn’t need to glance back to know that it was Emerald, but he tried desperately to pull forward. Strangely, the chain suddenly went slack, but then a hard pull yanked him off of his feet and into the air. As he swayed around, he was spun in a disorienting circle, periodically slamming into the ground.

Dazed, he was barely aware of the gnashing set of teeth below him as he was slowly lowered into the jaws of an exceptionally giant Beowulf. He could barely make out the shouts beneath him as Sun screamed for him. No. All he could focus on was the moment his mistress slid from her own sister’s blade - the moment she was discarded like trash… the moment  Winter’s boot made contact with her chest and shoved her into the now-sizzling waters as she sank deep into the dark abyss below.

“Neptune!” The claw holding the chain was severed from the rest of beast’s arm, splashing a blackened ooze across the ground, but that didn’t matter. Neither did the golden boy that caught him or the sigh of relief he let out as they fled. What mattered was the missing presence and the grin plastered across Winter’s face… and the screaming pain in his back.

“Aaaaaaaargh!” Neptune let out a piercing scream as his body wracked with pain. What the hell was this?! He hadn’t felt this since he was… No… That couldn’t be right, could it? Darkness began to eat around his eyes and he suddenly began to feel a familiar chill that he hadn’t felt in quite some time alongside a deep burning sensation that are through his body.

“Fuck!” Neptune supposed it was Sun that yelled. A hand firmly slapping against his cheeks, but he was so, so tired… he just needed… a little… sleep…

**ooOOoo**

“Don’t worry, bro! I gotcha’!” Sun searched across Neptune’s person and pulled a small pocket knife from his pants.

“Yang,” Ruby’s small voice beckoned her to follow her eyes. Despite the turmoil she imagined Ruby to be going through, it was amazing to think the small red-head could still be worried about someone else, let alone someone who had the potential to do the very same thing to her. Given his Unlife, Yang found it surprising to see Neptune in such a critical state and cringed to herself as Sun stabbed the blade deep into his hand without a second thought.

“C’mon buddy!” Despite the lack of response, Sun propped up the vampire’s head and forced his mouth open. “Drink up!” He squeezed his hand above his mouth and let the blood drop in, but there was no reaction. “C’mon, man! Fucking drink!” A large hand sat on Sun’s shoulder and squeezed supportively.

“Sun…” It was Yatsu’s voice. “He’s gone…”

“No fucking way, man!” Sun threw his hand away. “He hasn’t burst even into flames or turned to dust or ash or whatever the fuck it is that happens!”

“Sun,” Yatsu lamented. “I know you can smell it. The rest of us can.”

“No way! Wolfboy?” He looked to Jaune, who turned his eyes away. “Bunny?” Velvet fidgeted and also looked away.

“Sun,” Yatsu tried to soften his words. “His scent is human.”

“No way,” Sun voice cracked as his eyes teared up and Neptune’s head fell limply against his leg. “No way… You haven’t even had your chance…  Weren’t you gonna’ make a difference, man?…”

 “I hate to interrupt, but at least with blue boy’s passing, I know she’s actually dead.” Winter’s smug voice cut in. Knowing who Winter was referring to, Ruby’s eyes widened with the realization that Weiss must have been his master.

“You bitch!” Sun set Neptune on the ground and ran at her, but a bright light flashed as a Schnee glyph bounced him back and he skidded across the ground on his back.

“Don’t even bother. None of you are even a match for me as I am now,” Winter stated dismissively. “I’d sit down and take the loss, if I were you – maybe live to fight another day.” Heat permeated from in front of her and Yang stood up with a fire in her eyes. “Sit back down.”

“No!” Hot air burst from her, emphasizing her shout and she pressed a hand to her chest. “I admired you once! So much!” Unphased, the vampire gave her a bored look and Yang looked at Ruby. “I wanted to be you! Everyone did! How could you do this?!”

“You wasted your time chasing after something you’ll never be able to attain,” Winter extended both her hands, producing a light and dark orb that hovered above each hand. “The power of a Circadian is wonderful! Since you don’t know how to listen, I’ll let all of you have the honor of experiencing it first!” Winter brought both of her hands together and forged the orbs together, producing a Lightforge javelin that emanated a dark aura. “So that’s what happens, eh? Interesting.” Winter reared back to throw it at them, but froze in place. Despite further attempts, she remained locked in place.

“Winter!” A blonde woman garbed in a sophisticated pencil skirt stood above them. “Cease this foolishness, at once!”

“Glynda? Ah, sssss,” the piress hissed as the javelin began to sizzle in her hand as the Lightforge burned through the dark coating.

“Don’t you know it’s dangerous to play with things you don’t know how to use?” A large blade came over her neck, followed by a hand that grabbed her chin.

“Of course, you wouldn’t be far off,” Winter growled and let the javelin fizzle out. “Not if she’s here.”

“What’d you do with your sister?”

“Hah!” Winter laughed at the worry in Qrow’s gruff voice. “So you knew this whole time?”

“Eh, ‘Weiss Snow’ wasn’t exactly clever, but you know how it is,” he said cynically. “I needed a babysitter, as you can see.”

“Valid point.” Winter smirked to herself. “But you’re still rather short-sighted.” At that moment, Mercury leapt from hiding in Glynda’s direction, causing her to lapse in her telekinetic grasp on Winter’s arm. Winter stomped into Qrow’s foot and knocked his sword arm away, into a chain that coiled around his arm, pulling the pressure on his tendon forced his grip on his blade loose and the blade fell from his hand. Drawing her own blade, the vampire prepared to lash out at him. Behind him, a loud clank rang out as Velvet intercepted the cowardly blow Adam intended for the uncle, and in an instant, gunfire sang through the night, ending almost as quickly as it began.

A red blur twirled through the air toward Ruby and Jaune tackled her to the ground. With a soft shinking sound, their eyes locked onto the red object that began to radiate a strange pulse and everything froze. Bullets ceased movement, weapons locked up, and their owners continued to move forward, stumbling as their blades held fast, suspended in the air. Above Glynda, Mercury hovered in the air with a sparking sizzle popping from his legs, a testament to his prosthetics as he clawed at the woman just beyond his reach.

“Jaune,” Ruby touched him lightly. “Is that-“

Light footsteps padded across the ground as another Darkforge-encased figure passed them, swaying her hips back and forth with a confident stride. Jaune’s breath held in his chest as she touched her hand to the familiar red and gold blade and everything fell to the ground, bullets clinking heavy and tinny thuds.

“Milo?” It couldn’t be, could it? This was just too much. The red eyes of the figure were drawn to Jaune, wide at first, but then they turned to an endearing look that he hadn’t seen in quite some time. After a moment, they returned to their former as she surveyed the situation. If he could make out her expressions, he was sure that her eyes gave way to a grimace and they reached Neptune.

“Of course, Maggie Magnetics saves the da-,” Adam began to speak sarcastically, but a large gray blur slammed into him, sending the both of them flying into Emerald, courtesy of Glynda. The contact pulled Qrow’s arm, but he steadied himself when the chain went slack and released his arm. Now freed, he ran to his nieces’ side, inspecting Ruby for injuries. The new figure barely paid any mind to the incident and began to approach Ruby, who shrank away.

“Get away from her!” Yang readied herself, but Qrow raised a hand to stop her.

“Yang, stop!” The look in his eyes was pleading..

“Ruby,” the figured knelt down. “Do you know where Weiss is?”

“…” Ruby remained silent and the figure exchanged a look with her uncle. He nodded and the apparent Elder, looked down to ponder for a moment before speaking up.

“Ah! I probably look terrifying like this!” The figure glanced at Jaune hesitantly and then took in a deep breath. “Maybe you would respond better to this?” The Darkforge melted away from her, revealing her from the neck up. She was a pale and slender girl about their age with vibrant red hair, pulled back into a waist-length pony tail… and despite the tell-tale red eyes she now bore, this vampire was also someone they knew very well – some they bid farewell not long after Weiss.

There was a long pause and the girl looked down in shame. She knew this day would come, but she had hoped it would be farther along in the future or maybe even when everything was over and she could maybe become human again. At least, then she might not have to endure the disapproving looks or the inevitable attempts on her that she knew her former teammates and friends would have to make… and it would tear them apart. She returned her eyes to Ruby and immediately noticed the shear amount blood covering her neck. Glowing a molten red hue, Pyrrha’s eyes widened at the two punctures at the source of the blood and her face twisted in shear anger with an inward hiss.

Piecing things together, she had a very good idea of what was going on now and the only way Winter could have achieved her current state was if she was the assailant… This was unacceptable. Weiss was meant to lead them and Winter had been an obstacle since the start, but this had gone too far. Ruby was sweet and innocent. She held a purity that not many had and there was no reason for her to be dragged into this, yet Winter had crossed that line... all for the sake of power.

“Heh, bad move, Nikos.” Winter taunted. “Revealing yourself for some info you could have just gotten from me. She’s at the bottom of the ocean where I left he-hnnngh!” Milo sank deeply into her chest, knocking her off her feet.

“For your sake,” Pyrrha’s eyes glowed brightly with their malicious intent. “She had better not be.” Pyrrha moved her hand toward Ruby, who winced. “I’m not going to hurt you, Ruby,” she smiled. “ **We** aren’t like that – not the Hive.” Ruby peeked one eye open and Pyrrha gently tilted her head to look at her neck, then back to look into her eyes. A somber expression came over her face and she asked a single question. “Did Winter do this to you?”

“If you drink her blood, you can acquire the same power and freedoms as the so-called Circadian you’ve been serving,” Winter grunted, pulling the blade from her chest as she sat up. “Damn, that hurt!... But just think, you could have all the power you need!”

“Pyrrha,” Glynda spoke firmly and Qrow calmly lifted Ruby up. “Since we have her, it would be in our best interest to leave now, before dawn breaks.”

“You can’t have my sister!” Yang snatched the shotgun from Jaune’s hands and aimed it at Glynda, but Pyrrha ignored her, instead focusing on their mourning friend.

“Sun, bring Neptune home.” The faunus wiped his tears away and nodded. Without sparing a glance, he lifted his fallen friend and held him closely. Exchanging a tense look with Yang, Pyrrha grabbed the barrel of the shotgun and tilted it down. “Save that for a real enemy. In the very least, trust your uncle’s judgment.” Pyrrha looked to her former comrades. “The rest of you, as well.” Nora frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but closed it when Pyrrha smiled sadly at her. “Please? For old time’s sake?” The normally bubbly girl looked down, moving only when Ren decided to join Yang and the others.

“Glynda may be my mistress,” Pyrrha turned back to the ashen vampire. “I’ve said this to you many times, Winter… but even as a human, it always and will be Weiss’ practices that I follow. The burdens of a Circadian are not something that I desire and it is Weiss’s right to hold that power - no one else’s… especially not a jealous idol that passes this sort of judgment on those that idolize her.”

“Tch,” Winter clicked her tongue as she stood up. “You don’t really think you’re going to take me on, do you?”

“I saw your hand,” Pyrrha pointed out the burnt state of the arm that had held the javelin and Milo suddenly flew back to her hand, perfectly lodging its hilt in her grasp. “Darkforge and Lightforge are unstable when combined. You haven’t held that power long enough to wield both – even Weiss has trouble with that.” Pyrrha readied herself and smirked. “Your body is still adjusting, so I think you shouldn’t be a problem.” With her free hand, she raised two fingers and pointed them down. Eyes wide, Winter looked up and covered herself with her arms as a massive shipping container slammed down onto her.

With an icy explosion, a chilling mist of frozen shards shrouded the immediate area. Fragments of ice sliced through the foggy shroud like shrapnel, making it necessary to cover their faces as wind and ice bit into their flesh. With an eerie silence the icy fog dissipated, leaving only the frost covered remains of the container behind. Winter, as well as the White Fang members, had made for a hasty escape.

“Pyrrha. What do you want to do?” Qrow asked calmly, taking note of her clenched fist.

“Return to base and regroup. We need to reassess our situation and rethink our approach to the Schnee. As for Winter,” she scowled to herself. “If Weiss’ duties are to fall to me, I can no longer abide by her wishes.” Her eyes glowed with her anger. “Winter must die.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought you were a dick last chapter, but that’s just not cool! Did you really just kill Weiss AND Neptune? You horrible, horrible woman! Just because you said you decided not to kill Winter, that didn’t mean you should kill two people in her place!!! Yes, I know. I suck… LULLZ. It didn’t feel good writing that but the story’s not even close to done =P so much more to come and hey! You guys a crap ton of chapters this week! Trust me, interesting stuff ahead… again, assuming I invent some sort of posting schedule! Also, I do read comments and respond.  While it is ultimately my story to write, I do take into consideration what you guys think! If there is something you don’t understand, I will be more than happy to explain what I can without ruining the story. I will also try to incorporate the explanation into the story as well, since not everyone looks to the commentary below and chances are that if you had the question, someone else did too! With that, I bid you all adieu until next time!


	22. A Mutual Understand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Explanation chapter ahoy! From here on out, I will be fleshing some of the characters out so you can understand them more.

 

“I can’t go with you!!!”

“Ruby, just listen,” Qrow tried to calm his youngest niece down. “Turn around.” Moments after they had arrived at the Hive safehouse, they had been shown to an isolated room. Glynda had taken Yatsuhashi and Pyrrha with her, leaving Qrow with orders to take them to _that_ area since it hadn’t been used in a while.

“I can’t, Uncle Qrow! I’m- I’m-I’m,” with her back still turned to everyone, Ruby held herself and started to shake with each sob. “I’m a monster Uncle Qrow! I can’t go home anymore!”

“Yes,” he tried to reason with her. “You can!” Ruby’s body suddenly went still. In a furious spin, she turned and shouted.

“Look at me!” A dark shadow licked around her and frost coated the wall and floor around her. “I can’t ever go back!” As if to emphasize her point, he once-silver eyes glowed a furious red hue. Going along with her erratic mind, the frost grew in size and Ruby shrank away, cradling herself in fear. “No… no, no, no! Make this stop! I don’t want this!”

“Rubes…” Yang’s words caught in her throat. She honestly didn’t know how to comfort her, nor could she let her baby sister go on in this way. What was she supposed to do?! The frost continued to eat away at the floor, but a smooth shadow met it in resistance. Covering it like a thin sheet, the ice shattered beneath it and vanished.

“You haven’t told them anything,” Pyrrha’s voice came from the door to the room. “Have you?”

“I don’t know what you want me to tell them,” Qrow began. “Especially since students aren’t high enough in clearance.”

“Not them!” Pyrrha snapped in irritation. “Your girls! I’ve been wondering about this for a long time now, but even when I was in school with them, they didn’t seem to know they were special. Until I came here, I didn’t know it either… but it the very least, they should have known.”

“I… I don’t know where to start.” Fetching a flask from his belt, Qrow unscrewed the cap and threw back a long swig. “It was Tai and Summer’s job… it wasn’t my place…”

 “Uncle Qrow, what do you mean _it was Tai and Summer’s job_?” Yang snapped from across the room. “What the hell is going on here?!”

“I don’t mean to pry,” Velvet’s small voice interrupted the tense moment. “But we’re all very involved in this now. We should all at least know what we’ve gotten ourselves into.”

“Velvet, we shouldn’t stick our noses where they’re unwanted,” Coco advised. “As far as we know, this is just another enemy using the faces of old friends. For Christ’s sake, Pyrrha, Weiss, and Glynda under the same roof?! What kind of fucked up situation is this?!”

Letting out a sigh, Pyrrha walked across the large contemporary space and sat on the bed, dispersing the Darkforge cloak in exchange for blue jeans and a black hoodie. The room itself was a far cry from what anyone would have expected of a “safehouse”. It was more like a fully furnished hotel than anything else and this was its Presidential Suite. Looking at the nightstand beside the bed, she smirked and ran her finger across the white-coated top, leaving a streak through the dust that had built up over time – a testament to how long it had truly been since someone had last been within these walls.

“It may be time to have the cleaning lady come through,” Pyrrha said more to herself than anyone else. “I’ll have her stop by in the morning.”

“P-Pyrrha…” Nora said in an unusually timid voice and Pyrrha looked at her with a knowing smile.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me, Nora… none of you do,” she gave a small laugh. “I know that’s what you’d expect one of us to say.”

“W-why are we here?”

“Protection,” the red-head responded with the warm smile she was often known for. Patting her hand on the bed, she called to Ruby. “Ruby, come sit with me.” Yang grit her teeth in frustration at how useless she was in this situation. This was supposed to be her job… but what exactly was she going to do. Pyrrha had at least been through this sort of thing once.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Because?” Ruby continued to pout in silence. Didn’t Pyrrha understand? Moments ago, she had almost hurt everyone. She couldn’t control herself! “Because you think you’re a monster? Because you think you can hurt me?” Ruby looked down in confirmation. “That’s not very likely,” Pyrrha giggled. “I’ll tell you what! If everyone else stands in the next room, will you sit with me?” There was a pause before Ruby nodded. Thinking about it, Pyrrha had stopped the ice before. Maybe it would be safe.

“I’m not leaving my baby sister’s side. Not when she needs someone.”

“Yang,” Pyrrha’s smile dimmed into a neutral expression. “I apologize for being so straightforward, but you can’t offer her the support she needs, right now. You don’t know what this is like or what’s going on with her… You don’t even know what’s happening to yourself.” The words hit Yang like an arrow. In that moment, she didn’t know whether she was angry or hollow, but it burned and she felt completely helpless. “We’ll only be a few minutes and then I’ll try to explain.”

“I can start while you’re in here,” Qrow offered. “I guess.”

“No, I’d rather be sure you don’t conveniently leave anything else out,” she said pointedly. “Weiss and I had our differences on approaching your girls, but we at least agreed on full disclosure when the time came.” He looked away and lifted himself from the wall he had been leaning against. Grumbling as he left the room, the others soon followed him, looking back at Ruby. After the last person left the room, Pyrrha waited a moment and turned back to Ruby. “Sit with me now?” With a reluctant step, Ruby approached Pyrrha. Sitting next to her, Ruby awkwardly inched away, diverting her eyes in shame.

“Do you know where we are?” Ruby shook her head. “This is Weiss’ room… Well, her home, I should say. The whole suite is hers.” Surprised, Ruby raised her head for the first and looked around. Everything – EVERYTHING – was white with small splashes of blue in the décor. Apparently, Weiss still shared her family’s fondness for sterile environments, though it was absent of the religious figures and family crest that littered the Schnee Guild’s halls. “It’s big enough to house all of you for now.”

“B-but I can’t be with them,” Ruby said in a small voice. “And don’t they get to leave?”

“They will have the option, but Ruby,” Pyrrha pulled her into a close hug. “There’s nothing for you to be afraid of. You’re not like us at all and you never will be. You’re special. It’s what made your mom special.”

“M-mom?” The younger teen sniffled in surprise.

“Yes,” Pyrrha nodded with a smile. “I was surprised too…. Are you hungry?” Ruby nodded into her. “Then let’s get you something to eat. I know Weiss has something here.” The older girl took Ruby’s hands gently and pulled her up, leading her toward the door.

“What if I hurt them?” Fear stopped Ruby in her tracks.

“You won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?!”

“Because you don’t want to,” Pyrrha giggled. “I wasn’t so lucky to have that choice… I was just lucky enough to be collected and guided.” The tone of her voice made it seem that she was ashamed of herself but with a light pull, Pyrrha continued to guide her out.

Walking into the living room, they were met by the eyes of everyone else, who looked at them expectantly. Glancing over her shoulder, Pyrrha checked on Ruby and gave her a small squeeze of assurance. Leading her to a breakfast bar, Pyrrha motioned for her to sit on one of the stools as she gathered a few items from the refrigerator and cabinets.

 

“The first thing that happens is that you are overwhelmed with a dangerous fever. Your antibodies try to fight off the invading cells but they are unaffected. It paralyzes your immune system, followed by a heightening of your senses.” Pyrrha clenched the sides of her head. “The ringing is so dreadful. It pierces your ears and you want it all to end, but it never does. You even hear it in your sleep and it drives you nearly insane. Before you know it, you begin to hallucinate. The same is true for humans bitten Werebeasts, but this is where it all changes.”

“Pyrrha…”

“One day, you just don’t wake up. You can’t. You lay in an inescapable and vast prison of darkness for an immeasurable amount of time, and suddenly, you wake up. Everything is cold. All you know is fear and an insatiable hunger that makes you violent and insane.” The redhead let go of her head and straightened herself out, setting a skillet onto a glasstop stove and cracking a pair of eggs into a measuring cup. A few other items went into the mixture that she swished around with a fork before pouring it into the hot pan. With a sizzle, a buttery bacon scent filled the room and Ruby recalled the breakfast she had made for Weiss. Would she also have a hard time from now on?

“I don’t really remember when it was that I woke up,” Pyrrha spoke as she tended to the eggs. “But I remember when I came to my senses. Glynda said it was almost six weeks that I was in a Frenzy. She also told me that Weiss and I were the first two successes under Hive’s No-Feed Policy. She said that the two of us would never have to live with the guilt of killing someone without meaning to.” Ruby’s eyes lit up at that notion.

“So you mean you two have never drank blood?” Pyrrha looked down in thought as she plated the scrambled eggs.

“I never said that, Ruby,” Pyrrha looked away as she sat them down in front of Ruby. “I wish I could say that I hadn’t but it is the only thing that truly sustains us. You see, our stomachs react to solid food in a similar way to those with Celiac, but it a more drastic way. Solids irritate the lining and our stomachs reject it. We can only absorb liquids. Other foods smell and taste very foul to us.”

“Weiss did say she had a hard time eating,” Ruby sad sadly. “I guess I’ll have that now, right? So why do this for me?”

“Let me guess,” Pyrrha rolled her eyes with a sigh. “She gave you some sort of overly complicated explanation of a combination of diseases,” Ruby nodded and Pyrrha gave a chuckle. “Always making things more difficult than they need to be.”

“You said it would smell bad, right?”

“Yes,” Pyrrha grinned. “To me, it does. Think of it like this – the smells are very overpowering and everything tastes like rubber or ash.”

“I think it smells really good, though,” Ruby picked at it for a moment before hesitantly touching her tongue to the yellow curd at the tip of her fork. Quirking her eyebrow, she took the fork in her mouth and swallowed. “And it tastes really good too!” She took another bite.

“What are you feeding my sister?” Yang narrowed her eyes from across the room.

“Bacon and eggs,” Pyrrha began to clean the pan in the sink. “Salt, chives, and milk.”

“Then how-“

“She’s not a vampire, Yang,” Qrow interrupted. “She won’t change and even if you got bitten, you wouldn’t either.” He looked at Pyrrha. “I assume you put this little show together to make a point of showing everyone rather than having them take your word?”

“Hmmm, I wonder.” Pyrrha placed the dish in a rack to dry. “Weiss stayed with Ruby for a bit, from what I understand. I’m sure she noticed a lot of quirks. Eating would be one of them and that would be a quick way to show her. Ruby, can I see your neck?”

“Hey!” Yang barked. “Don’t be trying to get a quick snack just because you fed her! You said you’ve eaten people before. Ruby’s not on the menu.”

“I never said that I’ve eaten people, Yang,” Pyrrha frowned at the notion that she would feed on Ruby, but she had to remind herself that to them, she was no longer the Pyrrha they knew. She looked at Ruby once more and pulled out a tin that Ruby recognized.

“Weiss had one of those too,” Ruby looked at it curiously. “What is it?” Curiosity also getting the best of her, Nora crept over to Ruby to get a closer look. Snapping it open, it was very similar to the old-fashioned cigarette cases that kept them safe in harsh conditions. Now open, the container revealed several miniature compartments. With a light tug of her finger, she snapped one open and tipped it to empty the contents – an oval-shaped red pill.

Taking it between her thumb and index finger, she held it up for the others to see. Light glinted off of it with a red sheen and after a moment she put it between her lips and opened the refrigerator. Grabbing a bottle of water, she opened the lid and swallowed the pill, chasing it with the clear liquid. Pyrrha picked the tin back up and pocketed it once more.

“I was due for this anyway,” Pyrrha commented. “All Hive vampires carry these. We are required to take them after large-scale Darkforge use, recovering from wounds and bathing, and if we experience hunger pangs. The pill itself contains a concentrated powder form of blood that Hive allies may opt into donating toward. We do not force anyone to do so.”

“That can’t be right,” Ren was genuinely puzzled. “I didn’t see anywhere near as many humans as Faunus and Werebeasts. Were there only four vampires?”

“No,” Pyrrha laughed once more. “Hive is a haven for all manner of Darkforge creature seeking sanctum from the Schnee and The Council. That’s not to say that we take just anyone, but even so, if they are to receive protection, we require non-service members to check in with us every few days. We get them through their Frenzies and keep them in check; otherwise, they are put down just like any other enemy of mankind,” Pyrrha stated calmly. “But to answer your real question, Ren, you are correct. We don’t have many humans, but vampires are also able to feed off of Faunus and Werebeasts. Their  blood is more like a filler, sort like how cheap pet food has additives – not that I would call it that,” Pyrrha waved her hands around as if she had just insulted her former teammates. “It’s just that human blood is the only one that has nutritional value for us. Darkforge blood oddly doesn’t replenish Darkforge, so we combine them.”

 “How can all of you act so calm about this?!” A voice yelled from the living room. Hands clenched, Jaune stood there shaking. “You all act like this is normal, but Ruby’s been bitten. No one heals from that! Just look at Pyrrha! She was one of us and she died – so did Weiss – and we’re all acting like this is okay?!” Tears of frustration leaked down his face. “How are you still here?! Why weren’t you put down?! Why is this happening?! You never even tried to tell me, did you?!” Pyrrha sat the cup down and slowly walked toward him. “Neither did Weiss!” She supposed she deserved this. It really had been a while, but still. These was his frustrations coming out, and deep down, he had to understand why.

“Don’t come near me, Pyrrha!” The vampire stared at him blankly and disobeyed, still continuing. The blonde tensed up and she stopped in front of him.

“Jaune…”

“Don’t!” His eyes widened in terror as he stared at her. “Don’t say my name with her voice!” She lifted a hand and reached it out to him. “Don’t touch me!”

“You don’t know how hard it was,” Pyrrha swallowed. “How hard it’s been to stay away. I ran away so many times, and so many times, Weiss and Blake tracked me down because I was stupid… I always went to the same places… It was so easy for them because I was just like Weiss. It was so hard to adjust, but Weiss told me something one day.” Pyrrha pushed back and looked him the eye. “Can you look into these eyes and tell me that you wouldn’t have been afraid? That you wouldn’t have had nightmares?”

“Why is Weiss able to walk in the daylight?” Yang asked in a hostile voice. “And why aren’t her eyes red?”

“Yang, there’s… something I haven’t told you,” Ruby ate her last bite and spun around to face her sister. “I already knew…”

“What?!”

“I sort of put it together,” Ruby tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, feeling a little better. “Weiss’ eyes turned red for just a second when she had a nightmare. I thought I was just seeing things, but then she was able to walk in daylight and everything too and she protected me too… I thought about it more when you told me about the attack and just, everything was weird, so I… I told her that I knew tonight and that was why she changed her mind about saving Jaune… I thought she was afraid that if she saved him, he would tell me and I would be afraid of her, but I’m not at all. Sure, Weiss being an Elder was pretty shocking, but I dunno’. As crazy as everything with the Elder part got, I never felt like she was going to hurt me. It felt like Weiss, so I wasn’t afraid, and then it was her and now she’s...”

Pyrrha was silent for a moment. She honestly didn’t know what to say to the girl. Right now, even she was trying to focus on what needed to be done, rather than mourning her fallen allies. The two sisters had never had anything properly explained to them, much less anyone else in Beacon, and there wasn’t much time.

“Pyrrha, there still hasn’t been any word from Blake,” Pyrrha frowned in response to Qrow’s interruption. “After she put in the request for us to backup Weiss, she vanished… I really hope that she didn’t run into Adam or anyone else on the way. Neo and Torchwick have been laying low recently…”

“I… see…” The piress separated herself from Jaune and sat down, carefully considering what to do. “Blake is very good at getting herself out of trouble. Chances are that if she disappeared, she meant to… I don’t foresee our meeting with the Schnee going very well tomorrow, especially when it comes out that your nieces are here, which brings me to a very important subject.” Pyrrha looked in the direction of the sisters. Yang was looking over Ruby with a puzzled look. “I see it’s worn off already.” The blonde looked at her speechlessly.

“Is this some kind of horrible prank?” Yang half-screeched. “What did you do to her?”

“Nothing,” Pyrrha shook her head. “The effects of the bite have simply worn off and the wound has healed.”

“Open up,” Yang ordered and Ruby stretched her mouth open. “What the hell!” Gone were the fangs Ruby had grown and her eyes had returned to their normal silver color. On her neck, the punctures had also vanished.

“Ruby and Yang,” Pyrrha called to them and they hesitantly responded. “You are free to leave if you choose, though I respectfully ask that you all wait until morning. However, I would like to offer you both a place here in Hive, where we can help you better understand yourselves.”

“I take it this is one of those things where you won’t clue us in on anything if we choose to leave,” Yang crossed her arms in irritation. She was so tired of things being kept from them – all the lies and secrecy.

“Very perceptive, Yang.” Pyrrha smiled gently. “I know it’s underhanded, but if you leave, you are in Schnee hands.”

“Sounded to me like the plan was to put us in Schnee hands anyway…” Pyrrha looked down and shot a glare at Qrow. “That’s alright, though. I learned today that I don’t have a future with the Schnee.”

“Wait, Yang, what are you-“ Jaune silenced himself as Yang gave him a dangerous glare. There was a brief pause and Pyrrha nodded knowingly.

“I see,” Pyrrha hummed in thought. “Blake must have let out a bit more than was necessary.” Yang’s eyes took an angry hue as she glowered at the vampiress.

“Seriously, Uncle Qrow,” she burst out. “How long were you going to let me go on thinking I’m human?! I’ve been raised to be wary of Faunus and Weres and it turns out I’ve been one the whole time!” Qrow was taken aback by the outburst. “Why don’t I look like one? Why don’t you? What am I?!” With a conflicted expression, he turned away from his oldest niece.

“I didn’t know how to tell you, kiddo.”

“How to te-,” a violent aura fanned out around her. “Are you serious?! How about ‘ _Hey, Yang, you’re actually a Faunus. Thought you should know that!’_ ”

“You’re mother thought it was best this way,” he shouted back at her and the glow vanished.

“M-mom?” Her voice cracked and Qrow mentally kicked himself. He had no right to be upset with Yang. She was frustrated that so much had been hidden from her.

“Look, kiddo, I know what you’re thinking,” he softened his voice. “My sister… Your mother really did want to be around.”

“Then why isn’t she?” Yang’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Why did she leave me when I needed her the most?”

“You...” The words caught in his throat, but he forced himself to continue. “You know we’ve always tried to avoid talking about the night Summer and Tai died, but Raven took it especially hard. She felt like she had lost her entire family.”

“Was it because I was afraid of her eyes?…”

“…” The atmosphere in the room grew tense before he finally answered. “Yes… But it went so much deeper than that, Yang. She decided to launch her own personal vendetta against those responsible and she really believed that it would be better if you didn’t have to watch her fall down that path. When the darkness came, she opened herself to it and let it swallow her… She does think about you though.”

“And how am I supposed to believe that?” The blonde hissed in response.

“You looked through the envelope even though I told you not to, right?” Yang diverting her eyes was answer enough. “We used to leave feathers behind to send messages to each other. She intended for you to find the image of her inside. Her hopes were that before you became too involved in this, you would get caught up searching for her… She tried to use herself as a distraction to keep you away from all this. I guess someone took offense to the rest of that information falling into our hands… and with the rumors of Hive reaching out to Schnee for an armistice, The Council is most likely trying to get the jump on us. Landing both you and Ruby would put humanity at a significant disadvantage.”

 “Qrow,” Ren had simply sat by until now, but in truth he was accumulating information for questions of his own. “What is it that makes them special? What use could The Council and The White Fang have for them?” Qrow place a hand on his chin in thought.

“Let’s see,” he tapped his foot twice. “The easiest way to explain this is that Yang and Ruby are experimental in a way. When the Schnee noticed the relationship of STRQ, they decided to keep tabs and wanted their hands in everything. They wanted to do a study on the passing of genes between humans and Faunus. With the parents being a Faunus, an Omni-human, and a Circadial human, the Schnee wanted to know what affects an Omni-human would have.”

“Wait-wait,” Nora waved her arm around anxiously, until she was acknowledged. “M&Ms and Circle Dials?” Pyrrha giggled at Nora’s excitement

“Omnipotent and Circadial humans, Nora,” Pyrrha smiled at her. It had been so long since she had been around the light-hearted girl and it was refreshing, as opposed to the serious manner of everyone else she had been around for the last few years. In truth, Weiss’ team had been the liveliest people in the building, but they were almost always assigned elsewhere. “It’s what Tai and Summer were referred to as respectively. Tai was an Omni-human, which meant that he possessed the power to use Holy – though it made him immune to all Forge, whether good or bad. It also had a tendency to weaken powerful Forge, as well. As a Circadial, Summer was born with the ability to offset Forges. They were born with abilities reflective of Circadians, but they were often confused because of how close the terms were, so they started calling them Type-C humans.”

“Yeah, that about sums that up,” Qrow swished around his flask before taking a long swig. “But when Ruby and Yang were born, there wasn’t really anything special about them, other than Yang being born completely human from what we knew. It turned out that Tai’s Omni-blood completely negated the Darkforge that Yang should have inherited. Both girls were just regular humans without the affinity for Lightforge, but we figured they might be like Tai and Summer and not show anything until later in life, so they were called R-type Recessive humans.”

“Qrow, I understand that Yang’s latent power has Awakened, but what of Ruby?” Pyrrha wondered. “Summer and Tai both possessed a derivative of Holy, so could we assume Ruby’s version of an Awakening is Summer’s power?”

“Yeah, that’s a thought, but Summer very rarely ever used her power, so I can’t say for sure that this is the same. I don’t think I ever really witnessed it, though Tai and Raven said it was unnerving how quickly she could pick things up because of it. I was told that her body learned to produce Forge based on exposu- yes, Nora?”

“So does that mean Ruby can use both Dark and Light Forges now?” Pyrrha and Qrow both froze, staring at the Venetian blonde blankly. “I’ll take it as you haven’t had time to let that process yet.” Just how perceptive was this girl?… and better yet, they had both been so wrapped up in everything else that had happened that they hadn’t thought about the fact that Ruby had been exposed to a Forge directly.

“Darkforge would be a definite,” Pyrrha cupped her chin in thought. “Lightforge is a different story. You can’t forcibly insert that into anyone. How did Summer acquire it?”

“Ruby can probably use it,” Yang said darkly.

“Yang…” Ruby pushed away from her sister and looked at her eyes. “I…”

“It’s okay, Rubes,” Yang smiled through her heartache. “We don’t know it for certain yet, but Weiss told me about it.” The younger sibling looked away in shame. “No, seriously! I’m not gonna’ lie! I’m definitely jealous,” the blonde gave her sister a giant bear hug. “But I’m also super proud!”

“What do you mean Ruby can?” Pyrrha asked, genuinely curious. “She hasn’t been ex-“

“IWeiss told Blake that she suspects that she can,” Yang relayed. “Weiss said she’s been teaching Ruby a little.”

“Weiss let me hold Myrtenaster, but she said that I shouldn’t have been able to do what I did,” Ruby said earnestly. “She said it was surprising because I was able to keep the Forge going around without it breaking, though I’ll need a lot practice keeping the wavelength in check. It was all wavy and stuff. All I did was touch it.”

“Hmmm, it sort of makes sense,” Pyrrha commented more to Qrow. “If we think about how beings of Darkforge come to be, then it makes sense that Lightforge would be absorbed, as opposed to the venomous nature of Darkforge. Elite humans are born with the ability to absorb light and create within, but they don’t simply learn to do it by having it put into them. Its strength never changes – it simply just runs out. Darkforge invades and constantly replicates itself, but it naturally receives a huge boost at night and recedes with light. This means that Ruby’s body absorbed it when she touched it, though because she failed the affinity test, she never received the training that Elites would.”

“And we don’t have any Elites in house, so were kinda’ fucked on teaching her… Tch,” Qrow crossed his arm in irritation. “It’s almost better for them to remain with the Schnee, but it’ll raise a lot of questions.”

“Can we ask Oscar for help?” Pyrrha wondered. “You stay in fairly regular contact and he has helped us in the past. With Weiss being gone, we no longer have someone to mentor Ruby on Lightforge. As for Darkforge, I don’t sense any in Ruby at the moment. I don’t sense either, so that may be an effect…” Pyrrha cradled her head in her hands. “Dammit, Weiss, you were the only one who knew anything about this…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of explanations. Hope that wasn’t too much info in one go. Part of me feels like it is but I dunno. I saw that some of you were displeased with the end of last chapter. Tis as I planned, but I won’t reveal much in that aspect. You might be here for romance, but this is more of an action story with romance added. The romances in it aren’t exactly the healthiest relationships to gun for. (Weiss’ has been more of an obsession for an undisclosed reason. I mean, Ruby wasn’t even aware she existed when she was alive.) Anyway, I think next chapter has some sad-sads in it. Behind the scenes, Sun isn’t handling things too well.


	23. Hierarchy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I realize that the people here for romance are unhappy with me. Honestly, all I can is say is… #sorrynotsorry??? It’s part of the plot and I haven’t betrayed anyone in the pairings aspect. You’ll see. Unfortunately, I can’t make the story a 100% Yay! for everyone. If I wrote the story to do that, it would lose its meaning to me. You guys are a great source of encouragement, but I’m gonna’ tell the story the way it was intended to be =) Sometimes, I do see things that I think might be kind of cool to add or tweak a bit. In the romance department, Lightforge is probably a slow-burn type. It’s more supernatural/adventure with romance here and there.

 

She had to hurry! The buildings whirred past her as Gambol Shroud carried her through the city. Time was of the essence and she couldn’t afford to be held up. As it was, she had relayed the request for assistance to Glynda and Qrow, but now, more than ever Yang, Ruby, and Weiss needed her.

At first, she had stopped by the sisters’ home, but everything was a disaster. The house was crawling with White Fang soldiers and all manner of other Freaks. This wasn’t good, but since she hadn’t run into them on her way back, she could only think of one other possible place for them to be – with Weiss. Clenching her teeth as she mentally pictured that stubborn ass heading off into a losing battle, she picked up her pace. In all honestly, it was probably Ruby that ran after Weiss, but Yang still wasn’t much better. She’d traverse the depths of Hell and back to make sure that girl was safe… Why had God cursed her with not one, but **three** pains in her ass?

As Gambol Shroud released itself from a lamp post, a hefty weight crashed into her. Maintaining her grip, she hit the latch that called the blade back, just in time to wedge the blade into the gnashing jaws of small feline-like beast. Suddenly, she found herself glad that Gambol Shroud had been her weapon of choice this evening.

As it bore down harder, the beast sheer strength began to overcome her and it roared its foul breath into her face. With a twitch of her nose, she fought back the urge to vomit and coughed instead. Glaring into its eyes, her instincts possessed her and she let out a loud hiss, snarling back at the creature. As if it possessed some degree of recognition, the large cat’s eyes widened and it leapt back, avoiding what would have been a lethal attack from a hastily made copy of Blake’s silhouette. Climbing to her feet as quickly as she could, she took a defensive stance alongside the faceless copy, but the beast remained where it was.

“Smmmm… eeeellll…. C..caaAAAatttt,” the large lioness choked out. What?... Did a Werebeast just talk??? “Frrriiiieeen-“. Suddenly, a sludge-like substance swallowed the beast and it screeched as the ooze devoured it. Oh, what now?! Why was it **always** when she needed to be somewhere?!

“Ah, I had not expected it to be you,” the whimsical voice of a spry old man jabbed at her playfully, as he casually strolled past the dissipating mess. Tapping his cane against the ground, the man slicked back his grayed hair and adjusted his spectacle. “It’s been some time, hasn’t it, Miss Belladonna?”

“Ozpin…” Blake maintained her defensive position. Fate **would** have it like this, wouldn’t it? While they were technically on neutral terms, she could never be sure which side he was on at any given time.

“Calm yourself, Miss Belladonna,” the old vampire maintained his relaxed stance. “I mean you no harm.”

“That beast just spoke…”

“Did it now?” He feigned obliviousness through a smile.

“What sort of strange experimen- no, I don’t have time for this right now!” Blake shook the thoughts away. This would have to wait until later.

“Of course you do!” The feline cast a sharp glare in his direction and tightened her grip in the hilt of her weapon. “Now, now, you mustn’t be off in such a hurry to your own death! In fact, I insist that you stay,” he cast a wistful glance in the direction of the White Fang base. “That battle is already lost and it would do us well not to lose this generation’s Champions so early on in this war. Besides, you will be far more helpful to them if you would assist me in a task.”

“What?!” Blake screeched. “Like hell! Yang is out there! And Ruby! And Weiss! You said we needed all of them and now you’re wasting my time when I could be helping them get out of this mess?” Ok, maybe Yang had rubbed off on her just a little bit. Turning back toward her destination, she lifted a foot to take off, but the earlier sludge held her in place… Recognizing this as something she had felt only a few other times, she froze in awe… Ozpin had never exposed his abilities to anyone before, and even if he had, there were none left to tell the tale.

“While I am happy to see such devotion to someone other than Glynda, I’m afraid that I cannot let you do that at this time,” he adjusted his glasses once more. “In fact, I insist that you aid the Beacon Headmaster in a retrieval of sorts.”

“Oscar?!” The vampire nodded.

“No matter what it is, I must ask for your total silence on this matter,” the elder glowered at her. “No matter how Glynda badgers, you cannot reveal to anyone what it is that is to be done. I cannot stress this enough.”

“Alright, vampire,” a new voice tisked with annoyance. “Why was I summoned he- Blake?!” To the feline’s surprise, Headmaster Oscar stood before them with an equally shocked expression. “Ozpin, what are you doing to her?!”

“Fear not,” Ozpin shrugged dismissively. “No harm has come to Miss Belladonna, but you should be more than aware of why it is that I have called you,” Ozpin took a displeased tone. “I am sure that you felt it too.”

“But why in person?” Oscar growled. “You and I have both agreed never to be seen together.”

“That is so, but while I may project an infinite amount of information to you, it does not give you that which you require.” Ozpin calmly approached the young headmaster and handed him a deep brown envelope with a wax seal. Snatching the letter from Ozpin’s hand, Oscar grumbled to himself. “Unfortunate as it is, you must invoke the incantation once more.”

“You can’t be serious!” Oscar declared in disbelief.

“I wish that I wasn’t,” the elder lamented in a hushed voice. “But you felt it – our last breath of hope is fading away… It must be released…”

“Is this really worth it?” Barely containing himself, Oscar growled through his teeth. “Will we even be free at the end of this?”

“Of each other?” The vampire raised a brow toward the human. “Ours is an inescapable existence that will never find itself truly free,” the graying man’s eyes drifted to the night sky. “Not after the scourge we laid upon this world. No, there is much more than that. She will be our absolution – the only thing that we have ever done right…” A wistful gleam softened his eyes as he looked back to the younger headmaster. “But she will have to suffer for our sins. What right do we have to ask for more?” A tense moment passed between the two men before Oscar decided to end the stalemate with an aggravated sigh.

“I suppose you’re right…”

“Miss Belladonna,” the elder passed an envelope to her as well. “Deliver this to Glynda. She will understand its significance.” He took a deep breath and smiled. “The Council will begin to make its moves very soon. You will not have another chance to do this right. Please, do not mess this up.” As if he were a grandfather swelling with pride, he looked over them for one last fond moment. “Next we meet, we will all be enemies,” he swiftly turned around and walked away, dissipating into darkness. “But I want all of my children to know just how proud it is that I am.”

“All of his chil- Oscar what is he talking about?!” The headmaster rolled his eyes.

“Anyone related to Hive - he views us all as his children,” Oscar muttered under his breath. “As dreadful as he can be, he is just as much of a sentimental old fool as any other, but this isn’t good… Why would he hide The Council’s plans from me for so long?”

“Uuuuh,” Blake was taken aback by his statement. “Even if he’s been tipping you off, he **is** still a vampire at the end of the day. He’s bound to keep a few things from you!”

“Wait…” It hit him like a ton of bricks. “You know that?!”

“He didn’t exactly hide it when I was introduced as Glynda’s assistant or made into one of the key players at Hive… What’s this all about?”

“Hmmm,” Oscar tapped his chin. “So you’re aware that Ozpin has been the spy in The Council?” Blake nodded. “The Council caught on to it being someone connected to Ozpin and we’ve gotta’ do something about it, so we have to play fetch. Someone it taking the fall for him and they need to be in the … appropriate state of mind for this… This isn’t something I can handle by myself. Do you know who it is?”

“No, but can we just get started on this?” Blake began to walk hastily in the direction of the White Fang base. “You can fill me in on the way!”

“Wait, Blake,” Oscar tugged at her wrist lightly. “We need to talk about this and you need be patient. Things are dangerous right now and you don’t even know where we’re going! Knowing who this person is, I don’t even know how you’re going to react… Glynda is going to kill all of us for this…”

“Oscar,” Blake’s concern was growing stronger by the second. “What exactly are we doing?”

“… Retrieving Ausbrey’s sole remaining flesh and blood…” Oscar’s voice was grim and Blake stopped in her tracks at the drop of the name. Such a person existed?!

“The Originator has family?!” It was an ancient name, but it was one of The Originator’s many aliases over the ages.

“But there is something dark and ancient within them,” Oscar grasped her shoulders, stressing the seriousness of the matter. “Ozpin may be playing both sides, but this Child has been fighting themselves for years. I’ve held my tongue over the years, but I’ve watched them continue down this slippery slope. At first, I thought things had calmed down, but a suspicious number of vampires have disappeared recently.”

“How is that bad?” Wasn’t that what they all wanted?

“I know what you’re thinking, Blake,” his tone was even more grave than before. “But it’s completely misguided. Listen, do you know what a Coven Flame is?

“No?”

“Every Noble or higher has one,” Oscar said. “It doesn’t surprise me that you haven’t seen one. The only ones that do are the ones who have killed Nobles. When they die, they burst into blue flames. It’s said that vampires are begat by a flame of inspiration when they develop their traits. I assume that this is what they are referring to.”

“Soooo, what does this flame have to do with us?”

“Rather than blood,” Oscar vented in frustration. “This vampire commits a serious taboo in the community and consumes the flames of other vampires.”

“A vampire killing other vampires doesn’t sound like a horrible deal, Oscar.” Blake frowned. What was so bad about it?

“Blake, this is a trait of those who contain a piece of The Unholy Mother,” Oscar slammed a hand against a wall and Blake’s face paled. She knew that name from Old Wive’s tales about the Heart of Darkness, but she’d never thought it was true.

“Th-the Unholy Mother?” Oscar nodded.

“I’m owed a debt that can buy us time to returning this Child of Night to us, but I… I can’t have Glynda stopping us. Can I trust you?” Oscar and Ozpin couldn’t even trust their closest confidante with this information? This was something Glynda would be strongly opposed to. It sounded like the consequences would be dire if a mistake was made. “Blake!”

“Are you sure there’s no other way?” Oscar nodded. “And this is something you know you can handle?”

“With your assistance, yes,” he stated adamantly. “It will be difficult, but I’m the only one with anything to lose. Will you help me?”

“Y-yes,” the feline swallowed hard. While Oscar was among the kindest, he could also be very cruel when needed. This was a promise that she would have to keep no matter what. The messy haired young man’s disposition became suddenly friendly with her answer.

“The Child’s name is…”

**ooOOoo**

_“Old Man, I’ve produced a sireling, as per The Council’s request. Will he suffice?”_

_Weiss? That was her voice. He knew it was. Over the last few hours of following her and the other strange woman that he recognized as a very powerful and very wanted council member, he had studied the strange being that he came to know as Weiss – his now-mistress._

_Even stranger than this foreign idea was that only a few hours ago, he was dying at the hands of a White Fang soldier and this former-Schnee, who never should have known his name, saved him. And now, he was standing before one the Schnee’s greatest adversaries… and Weiss addressed him with such a care-free demeanor, but it wasn’t like it was just this moment that struck him as odd._

_As they had journeyed to whatever safe haven this was, Weiss had found herself dragging him along, as he lost himself in memories – strange memories that were not his own. At first, she was very interested in his visions, but after hearing about them, that was less of the case. She still urged him to be open about what he had seen, openly admitting that it was a terrifying process and often led to misunderstandings._

_Weiss had made him differently than others – they were closer than a simple master and servant. He would have her trust and his own free will. In exchange, all she asked for was his loyalty and these visions would be the true test. Weiss said she was going against her better judgment by taking things so fast, but she liked the look in his eye… Whatever that meant?_

_“I see… He is a Schnee Hunter?” The vampire known as Ozpin gave him a once-over. Wrapped in a thick blanket, Neptune shuddered beneath the old vampire’s gaze. If he hadn’t been shivering from the dreadful drop in his body temperature, he was sure that he would have been frozen with fear. “Are you cold, my son? It will take some time to properly acclimate, but you will grow into this cold world… Are you hungry?”_

_“No!” It was the first thing he would ever say to Ozpin and Neptune found that fear that he was so sorely missing. He had just told an extremely dangerous Elder ‘No’… and he was being laughed at???_

_“Weiss, it seems that he will need something to get him through. Tell me,” Ozpin smiled knowingly. “From what Glynda has said, he was in terrible condition – nearly dead – and now he looks perfect. How did you make him?”_

_“You already know what I did…”_

_“Tell me, fledgling,” the old vampire’s voice hinted at amusement. “Was it sweet? Bitter?”_

_“What?” Had this old man actually lost it? What the hell was he talking about?!_

_“I’ve somehow always fancied the idea that Weiss’ blood is tangy - maybe even citrusy,” he said whimsically.”But alas, that is an answer I have yet to discover.” Wait, what?_

_“Hey, Geezer,” Weiss snapped at him. “Don’t you have something better to be doing?”_

_“Hahaha, I suppose you are right, my child,” Ozpin spoke as he stood and walked toward her. He ruffled Weiss’ hair and she winced in response. “Get your sireling through his Frenzy and we will discuss things further.”_

_“M-mistress?” Neptune stammered. That’s what he was supposed to call her now, right? “Who is Ozpin to y- well, I guess it’s **us** now.”_

_“Ozpin?...” Weiss looked up in thought as she considered her answer. “He is my master and yours by association. You will **never** have to listen to that old fool, Neptune – only me... But you should know something.”_

_“What is it, Mistress?”_

_“Neptune Vasilias,” she lifted his head so that their eyes met and she addressed him by his full name. “I will ask you to do things – terrible things; sometimes deserved and sometimes to those who are completely innocent. Some will love you for it, but many will fear you. In exchange, I can promise that you will never want and that you will receive the power to make that difference that you so desperately crave… Together, you and I will rise above all else as fall angels, Neptune. We will usher in the new era and make this world a safe one for all to live in… Will you help me do this?”_

_It was so strange. There had never been another time where he had felt so needed and like he couldn’t truly make a difference. Those crystal blue eyes of her swallowed him up, but there were no lies. A passionate resolve burned so intensely within them that he felt they mirror his own desire to see his enemies burn. He had once heard that this was what it was like to look into a Schnee’s eyes, but even death did not dull his beautiful mistress’ eyes._

_“Wh-what w-would you have me do?”_

_“Are you cold, Neptune?” The fledgling vampire shivered as he remembered that his body was shaking from the lack of heat._

_“It’s f-freezing?”_

_“Hmmmm,” Weiss looked over him. “The next few weeks are going to be very painful for you, Neptune. Your body is changing. You… you will never have to hunt for blood, Neptune, but you will have to consume it. Can you give up this part of your humanity?” Everything was hurting so much… He was hurt. He was starving. He was cold… and now she wanted his humanity? Slowly, he was feeling himself slip out of his own grasp, but that’s what he wanted right? When he made this trade? This was the price of his second chance._

_“Yeah.” His voice was strangely calm and resolute. “But that doesn’t mean that I have to like it, right?” The warmest smile spread across Weiss’ face and he felt his heart flutter for the first time all day… Did that still beat anymore?_

_“I knew I was right about you.”_

_Gasp_. Blue tear-stained eyes greeted him as he gulped for fresh air. What… The… Fuck!!! He didn’t remember the last time he felt so much pain. It was like he had been hit repeatedly… not even with bricks! Flat out cement blocks! Desperate for air, he filled his lungs with another gasp of the sweet air he had been so deprived of. Hopping up, the elated sun-tanned boy bolted out of the room in his excitement.

Just what the hell was Sun so excited about? And… why was he in the Incineration Room???.... Were they about to cremate him?! Why the **fuck** would they do that?! Dragging a portly woman behind him, Sun returned to point out Neptune’s current state. Eyes wide with shock, she shakily brought a walkie talkie to her lips and called for assistance.

“Brooooo!” Sun sailed his way over to Neptune and hugged him hard. “I was distraught! I thought you were dead, dude! My number one bromance was over!”

“Why,” he hacked out the word. When had Sun grown **this** strong??? “Would you think that?!”

“Well, when Weiss got thrown o-,” the golden Faunus’ shoulders sagged and Neptune’s chest suddenly felt hollow. Looking around the room, Neptune found a metal pan and used it as a mirror. No… his eyes had returned to the sapphire gems he had once been born with.

“What…” He touched his eyelid in disbelief, as if to need some sort of proof this was in fact his reflection. “Wh-wha-t?” A dark and queasy feeling started to envelope him. The pan fell to the ground and he turned, but his feet didn’t carry him all the way. In shock, he barely registered falling into Sun’s arms as he collapsed. Seriously… when did Sun become the strong one?…

**ooOOoo**

When Neptune opened his eyes again, a somewhat larger crowd greeted him. A large part of him was thankful to be able to see past and present friends being civil toward each other. They were the parts of his life that really hammered in that he couldn’t have both worlds and he had lost that right the moment that White Fang guy stripped him of his life.

As he suspected, Sun sat directly to his side, but it was Yang’s behavior that he found odd. Despite watching him intently, she had become withdrawn and hidden herself behind Ruby, Pyrrha, and Jaune. Even if everything was finally starting to hit home, he had expected her to still have a fair amount of fire left. The only person closer to the door than her was Qrow, but that was his usual – last in, first out. He shifted himself to sit up and hissed as the pain radiated through his body.

“Dammit, so many… fuckin’ people… Can I get past?” A man in a white jacket attempted to push past the large crowd of visitors. “Popular as ever, I see, Vasilias.” Recognizing the voice, Neptune sagged forward and rolled his eyes. This was the last doctor he looked forward to seeing. This guy could be a real d-bag.

“They know who I am,” Neptune growled. “You can use my actual name.”

“…Very well then, **Neptune** ,” the man emphasized his name with detest. “It seems you’re technically free to absolve yourself of service, anyway… Which you probably won’t do anyway, so I’ll just expect to see you in here a lot more often.”

“Can we not do this today, dude? Eh- hey! What the fuck!” The doctor casually lifted Neptune’s shirt and looked over his body.

“You’ll feel some pain and discomfort,” the doctor muttered as he wrote something on his clipboard. “It seems that the Darkforge inside your body absorbed most of the damage the poison would have caused. We’ve never had a case truly like this before, so we’ll keep an eye on you for a bit longer. The best explanation I can offer is that when the Darkforge purged itself from your body, you went into a death-like state. If the substance had entered your body after the change, you might not be so lucky.”

“So wait, what are you saying?” Neptune asked skeptically. “I’m not a vampire anymore?” To be honest, he had already been piecing things together, but he needed to hear it from someone else- someone that would make it more real.

“Well, if you are, you’re a pretty piss poor one! Kinda’ need Darkforge for that, don’cha’?” Alright, this asshole was getting on his nerves A simple ‘yes’ would have been fine. “Be happy, Neptune. When most teens _get turnt_ ,” he air-quoted the last two words. “This isn’t exactly what they have in mind. Most Freaks never get to go back home, and even less can say that they’ve stood before The Council and lived, though that itself might be something new for you to be paranoid about.” The doctor scribbled something else down. “In the mean time, I’m gonna’ recommend that you take it easy for the next few days while your body works out the kinks. I’m giving you an anti-coagulant to help your body readjust. You’ll most likely experience some withdrawal-like symptoms,” the doctor grinned. “Just think of it like going through another Frenzy, minus the bloodlust. You remember what that’s like, right? Right!” The doctor caught onto the glares of Neptune’s friends. “Well, I’ll come back when it’s less crowded.” With that, he hurried out the door to harass his next patient.

“That guy’s an ass…” It was Yang that spoke her mind. “Seriously, he talks to patients like that?”

“Really, he only treats Neptune and Qrow like that,” Pyrrha scratched at her cheek. “He’s the best guy that we could get. He stays off Faction radars and maintains a public appearance. He’s actually really impressive.” Pyrrha fidgeted slightly before she looked at Neptune. “I’m glad to see you’re alive. How are you feeling, Neptune?”

“Like shit.” His voice was dull and emotionless. He supposed he should be happy. This was all good news, right? He just didn’t **feel** the good part. “This is real, isn’t it?”

“I…” The red-headed vampire thought for a moment before speaking. “Neptune, the only way for a vampire to return to being human is to either kill their sire or one that ties directly into the chain.”

“Hmmm,” Neptune hummed in response as he thought back to his dream. With everything that had happened recently, there was something that stuck out – something that had originally struck him as odd to begin with, but he put on the backburner in his mind. “Hey, Qrow. Can I ask you something about Weiss?”

“Shoot, kid.”

“Well, you know how vampires get information from blood, including another vampire’s?” Qrow nodded to encourage him to continue. “I never did see anything about how she was turned, but I remembered things about when she turned me. It was the weirdest thing that Master said.”

“Go on,” Qrow had suddenly become very interested in whatever Neptune had to say. It wasn’t often that the kid brought anything about his mistress to attention, since they kept very much to themselves about their lives as vampires. If he was, it really had to be bothering him.

“He asked me what her blood tasted like,” Neptune looked across the room at him. “He started talking about what he thought it might taste, but he said he didn’t know… And the more I think about it, I’ve never heard her call him Sire – Old Man, Geezer, and Master in front of the others, but never Sire.”

“Is that so?” The huntsman did find that strange. This wasn’t behavior typical of vampire hierarchy.

“Uh, excuse me,” Jaune waved to get attention. “Yeah, uh, why is that important???” Sun groaned into his hands and Neptune just stared at him blankly.

“Do they teach you guys anything in that damn?” Sun spoke with his voice muffled by his hands. “Or do you guys just try really hard not to learn anything about your enemies?”

“It’s alright, Sun! I’ve got this!” Pyrrha put her hands up defensively and smiled at Jaune. Sun was right, though. Beacon left a lot to be desired compared to what the world outside of humans knew, but this was something that she **had** learned. In fact, it was a class **with** Jaune. Briefly, she entertained a memory where he had to copy her homework because he hadn’t been paying attention. This was just another classic example.

“Jaune, vampires have their own hierarchy ranging from low class to high class very similar to the old days. In fact, many vampires come from those days and it’s probable that this is why it has remained in place.” Much like a puppy, he was focused so intently on listening to her, absorbing every word that passed her lips. Internally, she squealed with delight as her heart soared away. She really did miss this part of her old life, but now he was here… Listening to her, again. The shook the thought away and continued her lesson. “Anyway, they are very particular when it comes to respecting higher classes and it is considered very disrespectful to refer to them by anything other than their title or relationship to their own. Some sires even inflict punishment for being too casual. If Weiss were to call her sire something any less than his relationship to her, even a sire to another coven would be just in punishing her.” Pyrrha thought for a moment. “Neptune, has such action ever been taken?”

“I overheard from another noble venting her special treatment,” Neptune recalled. “Someone attempted to punish her rudeness and Master defended her – even going as far as to assault the offending Sire. When asked, Master said that she should not be held to the same standards as _the rest of the drivel_.”

 **“** I see…” Qrow opened his flask and took a swig from it, swishing the contents around as he pondered this. “I caught the tail end of everything tonight, but I did get a good glimpse of the state Weiss was in. From what I could see, she was completely overwhelmed by her own Darkforge. How long has she been having difficulty with her control? I need to know about her behaviors. Anything that any of you can tell me.”

“I’ve never known her to be in complete control of her cloak,” Neptune hesitated at first, but decided this was important. “Nor have I ever seen it take over in such a way. It’s usually something that kinda’ just protects her on its own, but never drives her.” Neptune thought a bit more about things that Weiss had done to aggravate people recently and recalled Blake’s desperate search for her and the reason. “Er, I know Blake’s been pretty pissed at her though. Since Weiss set out to bring Winter in, she hasn’t been back to get Supplements. It’s been a few months.”

“Pissed is an understatement,” Sun muttered under his breath.

“Supplies for those only get handed out in increments that so that force vampires to check in with us every few days.” Qrow was thinking out loud more than talking to them. “If not, they get dragged in or hunted down… How has Weiss managed to last months on a three day supply? Even with special treatment, the most she can get is a week.”

“Weiss had planned to come back in for examination tonight. She said that she had barely felt the hunger and was only taking them when needed. She found that she could go longer and longer without taking them, but she was going to run out and didn’t want to take the chance of not having any.”

“This is extremely reckless, even for her.” Clearly, the hunter wasn’t happy with his mistress’ decisions. “Orders are to eliminate Winter on sight. There are no chances to bring her in.”

“Even so, she’s Weiss’ big sister,” Ruby shouted out. “That has to mean something. If-if Yang w-were…”

“Kiddo… You don’t know, but…” Qrow frowned with uncertainty. “Look, you stayed home sick that day… but we just can’t believe she can change and Weiss knows that – not with how many lives Winter has already taken. Hell, she just attacked you!”

“Ruby, Winter has caused so much death – my death, Ren and Nora’s parents, and countless others,” Pyrrha’s eyes glistened as she recalled everything. “In a way, I can be thankful because my eyes have never been more open, but she stole that choice from me, Ruby. She stole my life. Can you imagine what it feels like to have that taken away and your leader wants to save that person? I can never get my life back… My Mistress isn’t going to just roll over and let someone kill her.”

“Look, all the factions have a pretty hefty bounty out on Winter,” Qrow swished the liquid around once more. “I was even surprised to find out a vampire other than Glynda made it onto The Council’s list too. Hive and the Schnee hire-ups hunting her, I expected - even the White Fang, to a degree. A vampire **really** has to piss off The Council to get on there, though.”

“I don’t really know much on that,” Neptune drifted off in thought. “But some big-wig on The Council has it out pretty wild for her.”

“No offense,” Sun shrugged. “But can you blame them?”

“Neptune?” It was the first time he had actually heard his name come from that voice.

“Yeah… Yang?”

“How did Ruby and I get caught up in this, if Winter is who Weiss has been looking for?” Yang shifted uncomfortably. “I mean, I know we’re supposed to be special and all, but Weiss ran into us by chance and side lined her mission? Am I supposed to believe that?”

“You guys really were just a bonus…” Yang’s eyes widened at her old partner’s answered. A bonus?! Like they were some sort of prize?!

“Look, firecracker, it might not be what you want to hear, but this would have all wound up happening eventually,” Qrow sensed his niece’s apprehension and tried his best to diffuse the situation. “Technically, you girls are a ward of the Schnee family, itself. Due to my job, they deemed me unfit to be your legal guardian, though they thought it best that I still have a key role in your lives. The duties of your _keeper_ were supposed to be Weiss’. Instead, Weiss passed and the responsibility was delegated to Headmaster Oscar, who appointed me as a guardian with certain… supervisions. As a result, we’ve had to move around constantly to keep your location secret,” he took another swig. “As long as Oscar and I know what’s going on, Hive hasn’t pressed the matter much further. That was good enough for them, but Weiss became invested in Ruby for what looks like no reason.”

“Blake was the one that provided the evidence for Weiss’ obsession with you guys,” Neptune stated calmly. “Weiss was put into training with STRQ and I think she feels like she failed them in life. Weiss once told me that Summer said Ruby would have to take up her mantle if she were to die. She wanted them to be friends, but both Summer and Weiss died before anything could be arranged.”

“I’m surprised at how open Weiss has been with you.”

“She really hasn’t,” Neptune shook his head. “It’s the way she turned me. I saw many of her memories.”

“Was there something different about it?” He had mentioned it before, but this time it piqued Pyrrha’s interest further. She had always wondered why the relationship between Weiss and Neptune was so open. Maybe this was why.

“I was technically considered a Noble starting on my first day,” Neptune stated. “Normally, you serve at your sire’s side and they may reward you with nobility, but Weiss was different. She said she would only make one and that I had better live up to her standards, since she was giving me her blood. Elders are born when Nobles develop an ascended form of Darkforge. If that process occured within me, then I already had the appropriate status to pursue creation of my own coven,” his eyes widened and he waved his hands. “Not that I would or anything. I’m perfectly fine with how things have been! I don’t wanna’ get too invested in this whole Darkforge thing. I like my orders just fine!”

“I… see…” The red-haired vampire eyed him suspiciously. Weiss made him into a noble from the start? She had at least assumed he worked his way up. While she shuddered at the thought of harming someone, she did have to admit that she was a bit jealous of the things Weiss could get away with. “To vampires, blood is viewed as the currency of life. With its consumption, one can see memories, learn abilities, and even exchange ideas. If nothing in particular is willed through, things are exposed at random and continue to do so as long as it remains within. This is why vampires are often called Masters of Deception. Why would she be so trusting to you?”

“Weiss told me that I would see many things that would make me suspicious of her and that she would be more than willing to explain herself. Being Yang’s partner was the only reason that she turned me,” he shifted uneasily. “She said it would give me a chance to make a difference and maybe even a second chance at life when everything is over… She liked the look in my eyes…”

“Wait,” Sun blurted out. “I’ve only been here for like a year and a half.”

“And?” Neptune stared at him blankly.

“You’re the one that brought me here,” Sun pointed at him curiously. “I assumed you had been a vamp for years because you were a Noble. Just how long were you a vamp before we met?”

“Uhhhhh,” he thought about it for a bit. “Depends on what you consider to be a vampire’s birth. Vampires consider it the moment you get past your Frenzy and become rational. So, maybe a couple weeks?”

“I was so rude to you! Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“You called me one of the Red Eyes. Would you have really believed me?” Neptune asked. “It’s not that big of a deal. Weiss says trust is earned,” he roped an arm around Sun’s neck. “And I think I earned a pretty awesome bud outta’ this!”

“Blegh,” Yang shoved a finger down her throat. “You two done flirting, yet?”

“What?!” Both boys shrieked in unison, causing everyone else to laugh.

“The real concern here is as Qrow stated earlier: Weiss’ cloak.” The group needed to be brought back to their focus and Pyrrha was happy to oblige. As much as she wanted to catch up with stories, they could do that later. “Evidence was left behind of an attempt to blend both Forges together, but it appears that her Light was overwhelmed and even absorbed into the Darkforge.”

“How is that possible?” Jaune asked in disbelief. “We use Lightforge to counter it all the time. There’s no reason it can’t contain it. I’ve heard of running out of Lightforge, but not being overwhelmed.”

“Yeah, Pyrrha,” Ruby agreed adamantly. “How does that happen? That’s what I learned too.” The teen looked to her older sister for confirmation and Yang nodded, as well.

“The Schnee really should start re-evaluating how they teach their kids,” Sun muttered under his breath. “I had to school Neptune on some things when we met too, but even as bad as the White Fang is for everyone, at least they were honest with everyone on the streets about how Forge works.”

 _Education beyond the reach of the Schnee is far different from what they offer inside._ A shiver ran through Yang’s spine as she recalled Adam’s icy words. Was he not making that up? Was her knowledge really so limited?

“Hey, monkey guy…” Sun shot an offended glare at Yang. “Can you repeat that?”

“What did you call me?”

“I don’t know your name.”

“You could at least ask, **Xiao Long**.” Sun made it a point to drive in that he knew who she was and she started to sweat at the poison in his voice.

“W-what’s your name?” She felt herself growing smaller under his glare.

“You can call me Wukong…” The distaste he held for her didn’t leave his words the entire time.

“Sun… dude, be nice,” Neptune scolded him. “Cut her a break. She’s had a bad night and she doesn’t know any better.”

“She’s being specist!”

“Should I hold the Red Eyes thing over your head?” Neptune dabbed at fake tears. “I’m still so hurt.” Neptune caught a confused look from Yang out of the corner of his eye. “It’s a derogatory term that street Faunus and White Fang use for vampires. You probably haven’t run into it very often.” Yang shook her head. He was right. She hadn’t. “Anyway, Sun, she asked you something.”

“Oh… yeah… The Schnee should re-evaluate their teaching…”

“No, um, Wukong,” Yang hesitated for a moment, waiting for him to acknowledge her. “The next part.”

“Oh, yeah,” he rolled his eyes at her. “The White Fang offers better education on Forges to Faunus on the streets. You guys don’t know shit about it in comparison. Pretty sure that only people on, like, Qrow’s level get that info.” Yang pressed her hand to her sinuses and winced as she thought about it.

“Yang,” Ruby touched her arm lightly. “Are you okay?”

“Not really,” the blonde was feeling a bit queasy the more she thought about her run-in with the Faunus leader. “Adam, he… did something to me, but he mentioned that the Schnee are lying… I didn’t want to believe him because of who he was. He said something other things too, but I blacked out.” She couldn’t tell them about the rest of the conversation. Not when she was in a place with so many people that she couldn’t be sure if she could trust. Hell, even Uncle Qrow had been lying to her.

“You… met Adam?” Pyrrha asked and Yang nodded. “Adam Tauros, the White Fang leader?”

“Yeah, he said he wanted to give me… the gift of… desperation?”

“That must be how her Awakening started,” Qrow said more to Pyrrha than anyone else in the room. “Yang hadn’t even shown signs before that, otherwise I would have said something to Oscar.”

“Uncle Qrow,” Ruby called to him. “Does this have something to do with that Holy thing you guys keep talking about?”

“Hmmm,” he ruffled Ruby’s hair. “That’s exactly what it is, but there are two kinds and it looks like Yang has the destructive one, while your old man was more of a cleansing type.”

“Cleansing?” Qrow nodded to Yang’s question.

“Yeah, it means that the elements of Unholy weaken in its presence. When it’s used, they get obliterated.” Thinking back on her interaction with Weiss, that might explain something that happened out there.

“Pyrrha, you said that Weiss was pretty much consumed by her cloak and that’s why she acted that way, right?” Reflecting on her earlier words, Pyrrha nodded. “So, then if I possessed this cleansing thing, would that make her rational?”

“That would make sense.”

“Weiss and I had an exchange earlier and it seemed like she regained some sort of clarity before…” Yang’s shoulders sagged as she recalled the memory. “Ruby… got bitten…”

“Then maybe we just don’t clearly understand the difference between the passive and aggressive attributes of Holy,” the old hunter offered. “Yang’s is wild and out of control. It’s filled with rage. Tai’s was completely different – calming and unpredictable – since the first day he gained it.”

“Either way, I pushed back the Dark and the Light came out right???” Pyrrha and Qrow glanced at each other, holding a mental argument over what to say. “Uh, guys?”

“Eeeh-yeah, kiddo’. Lightforge and Darkforge operate on two different wavelengths,” he explained. “Most beings are born with an affinity for one or the other or none at all. This makes them unable to exist in the same body at the same time, but in rare cases, some do possess both wavelengths.”

“Like Weiss?” Ruby asked excitedly.

“Yeah, kinda’ like Weiss,” Pyrrha traded her worries for cheerful smile. “In her case, the serum supplement maintains the barrier between them and that keeps her out of a Frenzy-like state. If she kept starving herself, the Darkforge would eventually overwhelm the Light and consume her mind, but I suspect that she’s been hiding this for quite some time.”

“She had a lot more control back then,” Neptune clenched his fists. “But if I’d known it wasn’t normal, I might have said something, at least to Master. She’s been like that as long as I’ve known her, but he was helping her contain it. He taught her how to control her Lightforge!” Qrow’s eyes widened and he marched over to Neptune, virtually slamming his hands onto the boy’s shoulders.

“Is this Master a vampire?” He dug his fingers into the boy’s shoulders, eliciting a gasp of pain. Frantically, Neptune nodded his head.

“What’s his name, Neptune?” Neptune looked to Pyrrha and then glanced at Ruby and Yang. He wanted to answer so badly, but he couldn’t. Not with them there. Instead, he looked away in shame and focused on a spot on the wall.

“It doesn’t really matter… He’s only a teacher.”

“Hey man,” Sun leaned over into Neptune’s view. “This isn’t like you. What is it about this guy? How can you be sure it won’t help?” The blue-haired boy’s eyes softened and he looked down.

“Weiss called him a lot things – mostly Old Man, Geezer… Master on formal occasions,” he listed off a few of the names she called him. “But beyond a shadow of a doubt, she’s never once called him her sire.”

“Old… Man?” There was once a person that Qrow recalled from Weiss’ childhood that she called that name, but at the time it hadn’t meant much. Now, it was different. “Neptune, has this man ever gone by the alias of Ausbrey?” There was a tense moment of silence and Qrow knew he had hammered the nail into the metaphorical coffin.

“Ah, you’re hurting me!” Neptune pushed Qrow away and backed up. For the first time, Qrow’s face was something other than its usual stoic nature.

“I’ll be back later,” he turned to storm out of the room. “I have some unfinished business to handle.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaand, Qrow is pissed lullz. Blake has been roped into some extra shit. Oscar is suspicious sauce. Neptune is sorta human atm - wonder how that’ll turn out. The intro of the next chapter will brighten up some of you who are mad at me, but because I’m an asshole, I couldn’t just let it be a complete victory. You’ll see. There was a comment on FF made about Ruby becoming super OP. Her power has a huge setback, accented by the fact that she shares Tai and Summer’s blood. It may seem like everyone is all hero-material and all, but there are no heroes in Lightforge. I do think that this is part of what makes Lightforge unique. Everyone has good intentions but for the wrong reasons – Ruby just… isn’t at the point in the story where she’s found hers.
> 
> Not to make excuses or anything, but when I started this arc and decided on Weiss' "death scene", I received an injury at work and wasn't allowed to go back for about 3 months. I had a difficult time writing because I couldn't move my arm very well and it did take quite some time for me to type the chapters, but it was all I really had to do. I'm a huge gamer and even that was difficult. I finally finished physical therapy on Dec 5 and my spirits have been up a lot more since then! My shoulder still has some instability, but it doesn't shake anywhere near as much and I can lift things again. The biggest thing is that I can play drums and guitar again, so I'm back in the studio and playing shows, as well as back to work! I feel like a brand new person all over again and it's awesome! That being said, the story is fairly dark and my mood made it a bit darker, but I don't regret that. It's actually helped work out some kinks I had.


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